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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. (1) Naruto 47, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
2. (2) Vampire Knight 9, Matsuri Hino (VIZ)
3. (3) Book of Genesis, Robert Crumb (WW Norton)
4. (4) Zombie Survival Guide, Max Brooks (Crown)
5. (5) Black Bird 3, Kanoko Sakurakoji (VIZ)
6. (9) Garfield Fat Pack, Davis et al (Random)
7. (7) Seekers: Toklo’s Story, Erin Hunter Bettina Kurkoski (Harper Collins)
8. (-) Soul Eater, Vol. 2, Atsushi Ohkubo (Orbit/Yen)
9. (6) Maximum Ride: The Manga 1, James Patterson/NaRae Lee (Orbit/Yen)
10. (20) Tsubasa 25, Clamp (Random House)
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11. (25) Maus 1, Spiegelman (Knopf)
12. (23) Alice In The Country Of Hearts 1, Quinrose Soumei Hoshino (Tokyopop)
13. (12) Logicomix, Apostolos Doxiadis et al (Bloomsbury)
14. (8) Shugo Chara! 8, Peach-Pit (Random House)
15. (-) Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Camille Rose Garcia (HC)
16. (-) Maximum Ride: The Manga 2, James Patterson/NaRae Lee (Orbit/Yen)
17. (-) Red: A Haida Manga, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas & McIntyre)
18. (15) Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection, Roff et al (Chronicle)
19. (-) Asterix and the Golden Sickle, Goscinny/Uderzo (Orion)
20. (26) Louis Riel, Brown (D+Q)
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21. (16) Dance in the Vampire Bund 6, Nozomu Tamaki (Seven Seas)
22. (11) Cirque Du Freak: The Manga, Vol. 1, Darren Shan/Takahiro Arai (Orbit)
23. (10) Otomen 5, Aya Kanno (VIZ)
24. (18) Fullmetal Alchemist 22, Hiromu Arakawa (VIZ)
25. (-) Footnotes in Gaza, Sacco (Henry Holt)
26. (-) Skim, Tamaki/Tamaki (Groundwood)
27. (22) Black Butler 1, Yana Toboso (Orbit)
28. (24) Black Bird 2, Kanoko Sakurakoji (VIZ)
29. (14) Watchmen, Moore/Gibbons (DC)
30. (13) Persepolis 1, Satrapi (Pantheon)

Analysis: This week sees the restoration of the current “Holy Trinity” of Canadian books (Red, Riel, and Skim) to the overall top 30. Also, Alice in Wonderland is coming out.

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. (2) Red: A Haida Manga, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas & McIntyre)
2. (1) Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q)
3. (3) Skim, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood)
4. (5) The Hipless Boy, Sully (Conundrum)
5. (4) It’s a Good Life, If You Don’t Weaken, Seth (D+Q)
6. (-) Nightschool 2, Svetlana Chmakova (Orbit/Yen)
7. (11) Burma Chronicles, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
8. (17) Hot Potatoe: Fine Ahtwerks, Marc Bell (D+Q)
9. (18) Pyongyang, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
10. (6) Nightschool 2, Svetlana Chmakova (Orbit/Yen)
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11. (22) Ojingogo, Matthew Forsythe (D+Q)
12. (-) The Hunter, Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
13. (7) The Plain Janes, Castelucci/Rugg (Minx/DC)
14. (16) George Sprott, Seth (D+Q)
15. (10) Collected Doug Wright 1, Doug Wright (D+Q)
16. (8) Home Sweat Home, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
17. (12) Scott Pilgrim 3, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
18. (-) Strange Suspense/Ditko, Blake Bell (Fanta)
19. (13) Essex County, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
20. (15) the great hopeful someday, Elizabeth Belliveau (Conundrum)
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21. (-) I Never Liked Youm Chester Brown (D+Q)
22. (14) Adventures of Rabbit and Bear Paws, Chad Solomon (Lone Pine)
23. (19) Important Artifacts, Leanne Shapton (FSG)
24. (20) The Big 5-0, Lynn Johnston (Andrews)
25. (21) Scott Pilgrim 5, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
26. (23) Senior’s Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
27. (24) Kaspar, Diane Obomsawin (D+Q)
28. (25) It’S The Thought That Counts, Lynn Johnston (Andrews)
29. (26) Scott Pilgrim 1, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
30. (27) Captain Canuck 1, Richard Comely/George Freeman (IDW)

Analysis: The top 30 Canadian books are all found in the top 840 comics. Captain Canuck is #837, just below Y: The Last Man Volume 6. Scott Pilgrim 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life is #831, wedged between the exclamation mark-heavy Negima!? Neo 3 and Peah-Pit’s Shuga! Chara Volume 1.

(note: previous rank in parentheses)
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