compiled/edited by B. Munn
This semi-regular feature of Sequential presents a snapshot of comics sales in Canada.
Part 1 .
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.
Note: a bit of a correction this time around. The Bookmanager site has not consistently been including certain books in its graphic novel rankings. The most notable of these are the Bone series, which are categorized under both “juvenile fiction” and “comics graphic novels.” As you can see from the list below, most of the Bone books rank quite high over all but currently require a separate search. This thing isn’t all just cut and paste… So, because it’s been a few weeks since the last list and because it would be misleading to include previous rankings if those rankings weren’t accurate, I am starting with a clean slate here.
Sequential’s Over-All Top 30
from BookManager
1. Bone 11 Prequel: Tall Tales, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
2. Scott Pilgrim 1, Bryan Lee O’Malley (ONI)
3. Out from Boneville: Bone #1, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
4. Scott Pilgrim 2, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
5. The Great Cow Race: Bone #2, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
6. Scott Pilgrim 3, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
7. Scott Pilgrim 6, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
8. Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
9. Bone Prequel: Rose, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
10. Bone 9: Crown of Horns, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
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11. Bone 5: Rockjaw, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
12. Bone 3: Eyes of the Storm, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
13. Scott Pilgrim 5, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
14. Bone 4: Dragonslayer, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
15. Naruto 49, Masashi Kishimoto (Random House)
16. Maximum Ride 3, James Patterson et al (Orbit)
17. Bone 8: Treasure Hunters, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
18. Warriors 3, Erin Hunter et al (HarperCollins)
19. Bone 7: Ghost Circles, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
20. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon)
—–
21. Maus 1, Spiegelman (Pantheon)
22. Anne Frank, Colon/Jacobson (FSG)
23. Twilight 1, Stephanie Meyer et al (Orbit)
24. Howl, Ginsberg et al (Harper Collins)
25. Bleach 32, Tite Kubo (VIZ)
26. Naruto 48, Masashi Kishimoto (Random House)
27. Black Bird 5, Kanoko Sakurakoji (VIZ)
28. 500 Years of Resistance, Gord Hill (Arsenal Pulp)
29. Bone 6: Old Man’s Cave, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
30. Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q)
Comment: new to this list are the Anne Frank and the latest Naruto.
Part 2. 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) Scott Pilgrim 1, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
2. (2) Scott Pilgrim 2, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
3. (6) Scott Pilgrim 3, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
4. (3) Scott Pilgrim 6, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
5. (4) Scott Pilgrim 5, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
6. (5) Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
7. (7) 500 Years of Resistance, Gord Hill (Arsenal Pulp)
8. (8) Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q)
9. (10) Harvey, Herve Bouchard/Janice Nadeau (Groundwood)
10. (9) Neil Young’s Greendale, Chiang et al (DC)
—–
11. (11) Skim sc, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood)
12. (-) Kenk, Poplak et al (Pop Sandbox)
13. (14) Bigfoot 1, Graham Roumieu (Plume)
14. (13) Indoor Voice, Jillian Tamaki (D+Q)
15. (24) Important Artifacts, Leanne Shapton (FSG)
16. (19) The Hipless Boy, Sully (Conundrum)
17. (16) Pyongyang, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
18. (-) Red: A Haida Manga, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas McIntyre)
19. (12) Wall-E Vol 1, J. Torres (Boom)
20. (17) Sweet Tooth 1, Jeff Lemire (DC)
—–
21. (-) Tangles, Sarah Leavitt (Freehand)
22. (27) Senior’s Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
23. (-) The Big 5-0, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
24. (-) Last Straw, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
25. (21) Burma Chronicles, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
26. (26) Home Sweat Home, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
27. (20) Children of the Atom, Dave Lapp (Conundrum)
28. (18) Essex County, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
29. (28) Skim hc, Mariko and Jillian Tamaki
30. (22) George Sprott, Seth (D+Q)