compiled/edited by B. Munn
The first list for March.
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. (-) Negima 25, Ken Akamatsu (Random House)
4. (7) Seekers: Toklo’s Story, Erin Hunter (Harper Collins)
5. (4) Zombie Survival Guide, Max Brooks (Crown)
6. (25) Footnotes in Gaza, Sacco (Henry Holt)
7. (3) Book of Genesis, Robert Crumb (WW Norton)
8. (-) Bleach 30, Tite Kubo (VIZ)
9. (15) Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Camille Rose Garcia (HC)
10. (29) Watchmen, Moore/Gibbons (DC)
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11. (17) Red: A Haida Manga, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas & McIntyre)
12. (-) Asterix/Olympic, Goscinny/Uderzo (Orion)
13. (6) Garfield Fat Pack, Davis et al (Random)
14. (-) Asterix/Obelix’s Birthday, Uderzo (Orion)
15. (13) Logicomix, Apostolos Doxiadis et al (Bloomsbury)
16. (-) Black Bird 1, Kanoko Sakurakoji (VIZ)
17. (20) Louis Riel, Brown (D+Q)
18. (5) Black Bird 3, Kanoko Sakurakoji (VIZ)
19. (-) One Piece 30, Eiichiro Oda (VIZ)
20. (-) One Piece 34, Eiichiro Oda (VIZ)
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21. (-) Maus II, Spiegleman (Knopf)
22. (16) Maximum Ride: The Manga 2, James Patterson/NaRae Lee (Orbit/Yen)
23. (-) Manga Messiah, (Tyndale)
24. (-) Bleach 1, Tite Kubo (VIZ)
25. (-) All Star Superman 2, Morrison/Quitely (DC)
26. (-) D.n.angel Volume 13, Sugisaki Yukiru (Tokyopop)
27. (-) Asterix/Cleopatra, Goscinny/Uderzo (Orion)
28. (-) Bleach 2, Tite Kubo (VIZ)
29. (-) One Piece 29, Eiichiro Oda (VIZ)
30. (-) B is for Beer, Tom Robbins (HC)
Analysis: Only 2 Canadian Books in the top 30 overall.
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. (1) Red: A Haida Manga, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas & McIntyre)
2. (2) Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q)
3. (-) Bigfoot, Graham Roumieu (Plume)
4. (3) Skim Hardcover, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood)
5. (-) Skim Paperback, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood)
6. (29) Scott Pilgrim 1, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
7. (17) Scott Pilgrim 3, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
8. (-) Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
9. (9) Pyongyang, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
10. (8) Hot Potatoe: Fine Ahtwerks, Marc Bell (D+Q)
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11. (26) Senior’s Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
12. (16) Home Sweat Home, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
13. (23) Important Artifacts, Leanne Shapton (FSG)
14. (-) Runaways: Homeschooling, K.Immonen/Pachilli (marvel)
15. (7) Burma Chronicles, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
16. (4) The Hipless Boy, Sully (Conundrum)
17. (11) Ojingogo, Matthew Forsythe (D+Q)
18. (-) Scott Pilgrim 2, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
19. (-) Just One More Hug, Lynn Johnston (AM)
20. (10) Nightschool 2, Svetlana Chmakova (Orbit/Yen)
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21. (-) In Me Own Words, Graham Roumieu (Plume)
22. (5) It’s a Good Life, If You Don’t Weaken, Seth (D+Q)
23. (6) Nightschool 2, Svetlana Chmakova (Orbit/Yen)
24. (12) Parker The Hunter, Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
25. (13) The Plain Janes, Castelucci/Rugg (Minx/DC)
26. (14) George Sprott, Seth (D+Q)
27. (15) Collected Doug Wright 1, Doug Wright (D+Q)
28. (19) Essex County, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
29. (22) Adventures of Rabbit and Bear Paws, Chad Solomon (Lone Pine)
30. (24) The Big 5-0, Lynn Johnston (Andrews)
Analysis: The top 30 Canadian books are all found in the top 960 comics.