compiled/edited by BK Munn

This semi-regular feature of Sequential presents a snapshot of comics sales in Canada.
For our second list of 2012, another radical reorganization. It turns out that Bookmanager classifies both Tintin and the Amulet series primarily as juvenile fiction and not graphic novels so these titles have been missing from previous incarnations of the list. Hardly seems fair that the father of European bande dessinee and the current challenger to the Bone throne should be left off, so here they are added, bumping a ton of stuff (Metamaus, Naruto 53, The Adventures of Herge). Maybe it’s time to separate the children’s and adult categories?
(Note: previous week’s rank indicated in (parentheses). N is new and R means returning after an absence from the top 30.)
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. BookManager national sales Rankings are updated weekly. For balance, you might want to try the Amazon.ca and Chapters-Indigo lists. See here for our previous Sequential list.

Sequential’s Over-All Top 30
from BookManager

1. (1) Hark a Vagrant Kate Beaton (D+Q)
2. (N) Amulet 4, Kazu Kibuishi (Scholastic)
3. (N) Tintin Secret of the Unicorn, Herge (Egmont)
4. (N) Amulet 1, Kazu Kibuishi (Scholastic)
5. (N) Tintin Red Rackham’s Treasure, Herge (Egmont)
6. (2) Inappropriate Tales for Young People Graham Roumieu (Random House)
7. (3) Bone 1, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
8. (N) Tintin Crab w Golden Claws, Herge (Egmont)
9. (N) Bone 9, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
10. (5) Walking Dead Vol. 1, Kirkman, et al (Image)
—–
11. (N) Amulet 3, Kazu Kibuishi (Scholastic)
12. (N) Amulet 2, Kazu Kibuishi (Scholastic)
13. (6) Bone 11, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
14. (8) Naruto 54, (VIZ)
15. (N) Tintin Explorers on the Moon, Herge (Scholastic)
16. (N) Tintin Destination Moon, Herge (Scholastic)
17. (7) Bone 2, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
18. (N) Tintin in Tibet (Egmont)
19. (N) Tintin Black Island (Egmont)
20. (N) Black Butler 8, Yana Toboso (Yen)
—–
21. (N) Tintin Cigars of the Pharoah, Herge (Egmont)
22. (N) Tintin Black Gold, Herge (Egmont)
23. (N) Tintin Blue Lotus, Herge (Egmont)
24. (N) Tintin 7 Crystal Balls, Herge (Egmont)
25. (10) Walking Dead Volume 15, Kirkman et al (Image)
26. (9) Best of Archie Comics Various Archie and Friends All-stars, Dan DeCarlo et al (Archie)
27. (12) Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q)
28. (16) Bone 8, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
29. (18) Bone 5, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
30. (4) Bone 4, Jeff Smith (Scholastic)
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) Hark a Vagrant Kate Beaton (D+Q)
2. (2) Inappropriate Tales for Young People Graham Roumieu (Random House)
3. (3) Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q)
4. (5) Essex County, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
5. (6) Paying For It, Chester Brown (D+Q)
6. (4) Scott Pilgrim 1, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
7. (9) Two Generals, Scott Chantler (McClelland & Stewart)
8. (7) The Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists, Seth (D+Q)
9. (12) Scott Pilgrim 6, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
10. (8) Scott Pilgrim 3, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
—–
11. (10) Scott Pilgrim 2, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
12. (15) Kill Shakespeare 2, Connor McCreery et al (IDW)
13. (19) Big Foot, Graham Roumieu (Plume)
14. (11) The Blue Dragon, Robert LePage et al (House of Anansi)
15. (25) Skim (pb) Mariko and Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood)
16. (16) Scott Pilgrim 5, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
17. (14) Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
18. (N) Kill Shakespeare 2, Connor McCreery et al (IDW)
19. (N) Nightschool, Vol. 3, Svetlana Chmakova (Yen)
20. (21) Pyongyang, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
—–
21. (22) Burma Chronicles, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
22. (13) You are a Cat! Shirwin Tija (Conundrum)
23. (18) Bigfoot, Pascal Girard (D+Q)
24. (28) Nightschool, Vol. 1, Svetlana Chmakova (Yen)
25. (N) Cinema Sewer Volume 3 Robin Bougien Fab Pr
26. (17) The Klondike, Zach Worton (D+Q)
27. (23) Pure Pajamas, Marc Bell (D+Q)
28. (N) Nightschool, Vol. 2, Svetlana Chmakova (Yen)
29. (N) The Never Weres, Fiona Smyth Annick Press
30. (29) Lost At Sea, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)