compiled/edited by BK 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 Sequential list.
Guide: numbers in parentheses indicate previous rank; (n) indicates a new book making its debut on the list; (r) indicates a book making a return to the list after an absence.
Sequential’s Over-All Top 30
from BookManager
1. (3) Bone 1: Out from Boneville, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
2. (3) Paying For It, Chester Brown (D+Q)
3. (4) Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q)
4. (2) Bone 9: Crown of Horns, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
5. (6) Bone 3: Eyes of the Storm, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
6. (5) Bone 11: Tall Tales, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
7. (11) Bone 2: The Great Cow Race, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
8. (10) Bone 5: Rockjaw, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
9. (8) Bone 4: Dragonslayer, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
10. (9) Bone 8: Treasure Hunters, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
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11. (13) Bone 7: Ghost Circles, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
12. (7) Percy Jackson and the Olympians – The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel, Rick Riordan/Robert Venditti/Attila Futaki
13. (16) Scott Pilgrim 1, Bryan Lee O’Malley (ONI)
14. (12) Bone 6: Old Man’s Cave, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
15. (15) Maximun Ride 4, Kames Patterson et al (Yen)
16. (19) Negima! 29, Ken Akamatsu (Kodansha)
17. (14) Essex County, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
18. (18) Bone Prequel: Rose, Jeff Smith and Charles Vess (Scholastic)
19. (17) Black Bird 8, Kanoko Sakurakoji (VIZ)
20. (r) Zita the Spacegirl, Ben Hatke (First Second)
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21. (21) Simpsons Comic Meltdown, Groening et al (Harper Collins)
22. (30) Scott Pilgrim 3, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
23. (20) Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
24. (r) Black Butler 1, Yana Toboso (Yen)
25. (23) Scott Pilgrim 2, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
26. (25) Scott Pilgrim 6, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
27. (n) The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho (HarperCollins)
28. (r) Bone 1 Hardcover, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
29. (22) Scott Pilgrim 5, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
30. (r) Anne Frank, Jacobson/Colon (FSG)
Chester Brown creeps towards the number one spot but the 12 Bone titles on the list tell you who’s still king of the charts.
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) Paying For It, Chester Browb (D+Q)
2. (2) Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q)
3. (4) Scott Pilgrim 1, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
4. (3) Essex County, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
5. (9) Scott Pilgrim 3, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
6. (5) Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
7. (7) Scott Pilgrim 2, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
8. (8) Scott Pilgrim 6, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
9. (6) Scott Pilgrim 5, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
10. (10) The Klondike, Zach Worton (D+Q)
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11. (11) The Next Day, Jason Gilmore/Paul Peterson/John Porcellino (Pop Sandbox)
12. (13) Skim sc, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood)
13. (15) Two Generals, Scott Chantler (McClelland and Stewart)
14. (12) The Never Weres, Fiona Smyth (Annick)
15. (19) Bitter Medicine: A Graphic Memoir of Mental Illness, Clem Martini/Olivier Martini (Freehand Books)
16. (25) Something Old, Something New, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
17. (14) Killing Velasquez, Philippe Girard (Conundrum)
18. (r) Harvey, Herve Bouchard/Janice Nadeau (Groundwood)
19. (17) Nightschool 2, Svetlana Chmakova (Yen)
20. (18) Nightschool 3, Svetlana Chmakova (Yen)
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21. (21) Bigfoot, Pascal Girard (D+Q)
22. (r) Scott Pilgrim Box, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
23. (23) Reunion, Pascal Girard (D+Q)
24. (24) Kill Shakespeare 1, Mccreery/Del Col/Belanger (IDW)
25. (28) Constructive Abandonment, Michael Dumontier/Neil Farber (D+Q)
26. (20) Mid-Life, Joe Ollman (D+Q)
27. (22) Chimo, David Collier (Conundrum)
28. (29) Tangles, Sarah Leavitt (Freehand Books)
29. (16) 500 Years of Resistance, Gord Hill (Arsenal Pulp)
30. (r) Lost at Sea, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
Bryan Lee O’Malley continues on as the Jeff Smith of Canada, dominating the Canadian list with 8 spots.
This week’s spotlight book is Killing Velasquez by Phillipe Girard, published by Conundrum Press and translated from the French by KerryAnn Cochrane. We last enjoyed Girard in his 2010 release Ruts and Gullies, an autobiographical carnet de voyage which chronicled his visit to a Russian comics festival alongside fellow cartoonist and erstwhile publisher Jimmy Beaulieu. Killing Velasquez returns Girard and his effective, bold linework and deadpan delivery to the world of fiction and the highly topical subject of sexual abuse by Catholic priests.
From the publisher:
“On hearing a radio report of an accused priest Philippe is thrown back to a difficult time in his youth. He is faced with his parents’ impending divorce, moves to a new city, goes to a new school, and needs to make new friends. To help him adapt to his new surroundings his mother urges him to join the “Snow Geese,” a youth group led by a nonconformist priest who challenges Philippe to rethink his values. But as Philippe becomes more acquainted with the group and its charismatic leader, masks begin to slip, and he finds himself plunged into the centre of an unexpected drama. With his life turned upside-down, he seeks comfort in reading, and manages to find his bearings again when he discovers the old-fashioned adventure series of Jack Bowmore. Killing Velazquez is an autobiographical tale that gives us a glimpse into the complexities of manipulation and reminds us that sometimes an old book can actually save a life.”