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Monday, June 22, 2009
New Books: The Collected Captain Canuck, Vol 1 ![]() Captain Canuck Vol. 1 Written by Richard Comely, art by George Freeman, Jean-Claude St.Aubin 152 Pages $24.99 Full-colour hardcover IDW Publishing June 2009 An archival edition of the seminal 1970s superhero comic book series featuring art by the underrated yet fondly-remembered George Freeman. Erroneously credited as "Canada’s first superhero" by re-publisher IDW, the first volume features issues #4-10 of the original series published by Comely Comics (widely available in bargain bins for decades). Labels: canadian superheroes, comics history, floppies, new books, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, June 09, 2009 New Books: The Undertaking by Michael J. Hind ![]() The Undertaking Michael J. Hind Conundrum Press ISBN 978-1-894994-39-2 88 pages $15 CDN / US From the publisher: "The Undertaking, is the saga of the Ward family and its oldest son Donald (D), who finds himself holding together the family undertaking business during the Second World War in Britain. They must deal with death on a professional level, yet are as human and flawed as anybody else when dealing with the loss of one of their own. The book opens on a funeral and is told dramatically through flashbacks, where we learn of the losses and regrets that have brought them to this place, and of those family secrets they bear together that may save them. A sort of D.H. Lawrence meets Six Feet Under." Labels: graphic novels, Montreal, new books, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, May 28, 2009 New Books from New Reliable: True Loves 2 True Loves Vol. 2: Trouble In ParadiseCheck it out, a sweet 26 page PDF Preview! This is a nice looking book, wish i had sold more, i broke and chose to grab Jan's [preview] at TCAF [max] but I would have liked to get this then too, sorry Jason! Written by the talented Jason Turner and Manien Bothma. They appeared on Inkstuds April the 22nd to talk about the book, you can catch the podcast here. See the booklaunch post on the NR blog for details about True Loves 2/Jan's Atomic Heart joint launch at Lucky's. Take note of the custom beer bottle labels people! I don't even drink beer but that's a great idea. (Trade Paperback) New Reliable Press US$8.95 Labels: graphic novels, new books, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, May 19, 2009 Sequential Bestsellers: May 20 (Spring Books Edition) ![]() compiled/edited by B. Munn We took a bit of a break for TCAF and the debut of the Sequential print edition, so we missed a week of the bestseller list. And who knows, now that the first long weekend of the season has come and gone, the list might go on Summer hiatus. Anyway, here we go. The Top 30 Graphic Novels 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. Sequential readers will be pleased to not that George Sprott, Scott Pilgrim, and Darwyn Cooke (not to mention Gustave Dore, the Secret Wars II Omnibus Edition, and NBM's "Gorgeous and ...Hung?" by Kinky Jimmy) are all included in Amazon.ca's Top 100 comics and graphic novels as I write this. The Sequential list has two parts, the top 30 overall and (at the bottom) the top 30 by Canadian creators. See here for last week's list. Last week's rankings are in parentheses. Top 30 Comics and Graphic Novels in Canada 1. (1) Watchmen, Moore/Gibbons (DC) 2. (3) B is for Beer, Tom Robbins (Harper Collins) 3. (-) Fullmetal Alchemist 18, Hiromu Arakawa (VIZ) 4. (4) Naruto 43, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 5. (2) Naruto 42, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 6. (5) Naruto 44, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 7. (6) Vampire Knight 6, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 8. (8) Naruto 39, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 9. (10) Garfield Just Desserts, Jim Davis (Random) 10. (11) Naruto 40, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) ----- 11. (-) Maus 1, Spiegelman (Knopf) 12. (9) Naruto 41, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 13. (-) Shugo Chara! 6, Peach-Pit (Random House) 14. (12) Naruto 38, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 15. (16) Naruto 36, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 16. (13) Naruto 37, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 17. (21) Hobbit, Tolkien et al (Harper Collins) 18. (-) Marvel Encyclopedia (Marvel) 19. (25) Wolverine 1: Prodigal Son, Tortosa/Johnston (Random House) 20. (15) Manga Metamorphosis, Kozumi Shinozawa (Tyndale) ---- 21. (17) Naruto 1, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 22. (14) Chibi Vampire 13, Yuna Kagesaki (Tokyopop) 23. (20) Naruto 35, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 24. (28) Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q) 25. (-) Naruto 34, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 26. Black Cat 20, Kentaro Yabuki (VIZ) 27. Maus II, Spiegelman (Knopf) 28. (-) Vampire Knight 5, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 29. 19. (-) Maximum Ride, Vol. 1, James Patterson (Yen) 30. (-) B.O.D.Y., Volume 5, Ao Mimori (VIZ) Standard explanation: The pattern that emerges from looking at these lists over a period of weeks is that certain books, especially manga series, continuously jostle with each other, sliding up and down the longer list on the strength of a new volume or a spate of purchases for the kiddies. This week: Some new manga volumes. Canadian Content: You have to wade through an awful lot of translated Japanes 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. Sequential's All-Canadian Top 30 from BookManager 1. (2) Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q) 2. (1) Skim, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood) 3. (13) Doug Wright: Canada's Master Cartoonist, Doug Wright (D+Q) 4. (3) Nightschool 1, Svetlana Chmakova (Yen) 5. (4) Big Foot, Graham Roumieu (Plume) 6. (10) Plain Janes, Castelucci/Rugg (Minx/DC) 7. (6) Scott Pilgrim 5, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) 8. (19) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 9. (5) The Burma Chronicles, Guy Delisle (D+Q) 10. (11) Scott Pilgrim 3, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) ----- 11. (7) Scott Pilgrim 1, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) 12. (12) Pyongyang, Guy Delisle (D+Q) 13. (-) Lillian the Legend, Kerry Byrne (Conundrum) 14. (15) Ojingogo, Matt Forsythe (D+Q) 15. (-) Kaspar, Diane Obomsawin (D+Q) 16. (22) Essex County 1, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 17. (-) Papercut Heart, Ian Sullivan Cant (Conundrum) 18. (26) Essex County 2, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 19. (9) Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) 20. (30) the great hopeful someday, Elizabeth Belliveau (Conundrum) ----- 21. (17) Middle Aged Spread, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 22. (20) It's a Good Life..., Seth (D+Q) 23. (25) Shenzhen, Guy Delisle (D+Q) 24. (27) Paul Goes Fishing, Rabagliati (D+Q) 25. (14) Scott Pilgrim 2, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) 26. (18) Drop-In, Dave Lapp (Conundrum) 27. (16) Baloney, Pascal Blanchet (D+Q) 28. (21) Adventures of Rabbit and Bear Paws 1, Chad Solomon (Little Spirit Bear) 29. (24) Adventures of Rabbit and Bear Paws: The Voyageurs, Chad Solomon (Little Spirit Bear) 30. (-) In Me Own Words/Bigfoot, Graham Roumieu (Plume) ----- Please feel free to comment or email about these lists. Labels: bestsellers, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing, U.S. superhero franchises - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, May 07, 2009 Publishing: Papercut Hearts by Ian Sullivan Cant ![]() Papercut Heart by Ian Sullivan Cant Conundrum Press ISBN 978-1-894994-38-5 $15 Ian Sullivan Cant's zines / illustrated poems are collected here into his first book, Papercut Heart. In deceptively simple pages, he tackles love, death and dreams with a wistful existentialism. Chia pets frolic with narwhals under banners that flutter with secret hope, Frankenstein's creation speculates on the nature of self, and a story written entirely in Morse Code weaves through silent statuary. Cant's writing confronts the tragic disparity between fantasy and ideal, and the disappointment of reality, but always seeks to touch the reader with melancholy. His obsession with B-horror movies allows him to find the beauty in trash culture, either in the form of a hidden and subversive genius, or the tenderness and vulnerability of unskilled creative passion. Cant's instruction in zen poetry is evident in his clean, delicate linework which belies the depth of his sentiments. Ruminations on the temporal nature of all things are thrown into stark relief by the accompanying drawing, be it a cupcake, a matchbook, or the image of a lost love, and many, many, talking ravens. Cant will be at TCAF at the Conundrum booth: Conundrum Press TCAF Signing schedule: SAT MAY 9 noon-1 Howard Chackowicz 1-2 Jillian Tamaki 2-3 Shary Boyle 3-4 Emily Holton, Kerry Byrne 4-5 Michael Hind, Ian Sullivan Cant SUN May 10 noon-1 Dave Lapp (DWA Nominee for Drop-In) 1-2 Michael Hind, Kerry Byrne 2-3 Ian Sullivan Cant 3-4 Howard Chackowicz Labels: events, graphic novels, publishing, tcaf, TCAF09 - Stumble It! - 0 comments Publishing: The Paris Guns by Diana Tamblyn ![]() The Paris Guns Diana Tamblyn self-published mini "The Paris Guns" is the first chapter of Tamblyn's Gerald Bull graphic novel (but works as a story in and of itself). Tamblyn and her book will be appearing this weekend at TCAF. Labels: graphic novels, mini-comics, publishing, TCAF09 - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, May 05, 2009 Publishing: George Sprott by Seth ![]() George Sprott By Seth Drawn and Quarterly 96 pages, full color. $24.95 ISBN: 978-1897299-51-7 The first major new graphic novel by Seth in 3 years. Labels: graphic novels, publishing, TCAF09 - Stumble It! - 0 comments Monday, May 04, 2009 The C-List: Wolverine Edition ![]() Because the whole world is now an Alpha Flight fanpage. Since every third websearch I did in preparation for this post came up with a reference to the new Hugh Jackman movie, I decided to just give in and go with it. It used to be that if there wasn't any actual news about Canadian comics to report, I would punish the Sequential readership with links to news about Alpha Flight. It's a sign of quantity of the Canadian content and the current efforts by Canadian creators that I haven't had to do one of those posts in awhile. Now that everyone on Earth is thinking about a Canadian superhero (albeit a corporate-owned superhero created by Americans), good art still triumphs here at Sequential. Item: Toronto cartoonist Steve Manale has his apartment and robot collection featured in Eye Weekly. Item: The National Post goes TCAF crazy, with interviews with Scott Campbell, Tom Humberstone, Paul Rivoche, Ryan North, Tim Fish, and J. Torres, and a backgrounder on the Scott Pilgrim phenom. Item: Speaking of TCAF, did we mention Sequential is publishing a free print edition for the festival? Item: And speaking of Scott Pilgrim, Colin Upton finally gets around to reading the fiirst volume in the series, and writes a review. Item: Again with the Post, Nathalie Atkinson gets some quotes from Ontario retailers on the occasion of Free Comic Book Day. Item: In other FCBD news, various media cover the events in Edmonton, Toronto, Halifax, Item: Policart Bruce MacKinnon has won this year's Atlantic Journalism award for editorial cartooning. Congrats Bruce! Item: D+Q publisher Chris Oliveros writes a long blog post about Doug Wright, making a case for him as a major cartoonist on an international scale and as a great illustrator. Lots of behind-the-scenes about the creation of the brand new Collected Doug Wright book, as well. Item: Writing for the Central-Plains Herald-Leadre, Sean Borland reviews the new Metic graphic novel anthology, Stories of Our People. Item: In publishing news, the strip collection L'Age d'Innocence by Eric Peladeau is now available from Editions Zailees. Item: Zinester and novelist Mike Aragona's Mysterious Mystery Men is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Congrats Mike! Item: In general book news, the Google copyright settlement deadline has been extended by 4 months and a growing group of authors and estates has formed an opposition. ----- Item: Oh yeah, Wolverine. Well, it seems a movie about everyone's favourite superhero with a fictional attachment to Canada (no, not Superman) came out this weekend and made over $80 million in ticket sales. The Canadian-ness of this fact was noted by the New York Times and others. There are several Canadian actors in the film, but Alpha Flight, the Canadian superhero group created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, is referred to only elliptically. And that's all I can bear to link. There is really no comics news here. Well, besides this, which ties in neatly to the Google copyright think, ironically. (Plus, the Shusters are using the character to help with fundraising this year.) Labels: links, movies, publishing, U.S. superhero franchises - Stumble It! - 0 comments James Turner's Warlord of IO Rejected by Diamond ![]() The Toronto cartoonist James Turner has had his latest project rejected by Diamond Distributors. The series, Warlord of Io, is Turner's follow-up to the Wright Award nominated Nil graphic novel and the Rex Libris comic book series. The cancelled series, a comedic space opera set on Jupiter, was to be published by Slave Labor in the U.S. but has become the latest casualty of Diamond Distributors new minimum standards policy that denies distribution to comics deemed unlikely to sell a minimum number of copies. The policy is controversial since it reduces the chances of quality art reaching an audience. According to a report at Comic Book Resources, the book will be distributed online for now, with a possible trade collection in the future. Turner, who will be appearing at TCAF this week, has posted several updates along with a video preview at his website. Tom Spurgeon writes, "I know that Warlord of IO is only one comic book, but a long time ago that what's the Direct Market was set up to do: give people a chance to buy the one comic book they wanted to buy. That obviously couldn't hold, but where the line gets drawn seems to me a much more vital issue than should be decided by a single company around which whirls occasional rumors of external financial distress. If the Direct Market will inevitably go away with the rise of an on-line replacement, why not have the best possible Direct Market until that happens?" Labels: digital comics, floppies, publishing, webcomics - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, April 30, 2009 Publishing: Never Learn Anything From History by Kate Beaton ![]() Never Learn Anything From History Kate Beaton 68 pages $18 plus shipping buy it here Labels: comic strips, publishing, Toronto, webcomics - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, April 21, 2009 Publishing: The Collected Doug Wright, Volume I ![]() The Collected Doug Wright: Canada's Master Cartoonist, Volume One by Doug Wright with an introduction by Lynn Johnston Hardcover, 240 pages, 9 x 14 inches, color. ISBN: 9781897299524 $39.95 US / $39.95 CDN Designed by Seth and with a comprehensive biographical essay by Wright scholar Brad Mackay, this book is probably the most significant historic comics project to come out of Canada this century. A beautiful book, revealing the early career and artistic maturity of Canada's most widely-read cartoonist in the post World-War II years. Plus, this thing is about the size of a monument --and there's going to be two of them! Just like the 10 Commandments! The first of a historic two-volume set, Doug Wright: Canada's Master Cartoonist presents the first-ever comprehensive look at the life and career of one of the most-read and best-loved cartoonists of the 1960s. Compiled in cooperation with Wright's family, it draws from thousands of pieces of art, pictures, letters, and the artist's own journals, to provide a fully rounded view of Doug Wright, both as a cartoonist and as an individual. Labels: comic strips, comics history, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, April 15, 2009 Publishing: Nightschool by Svetlana Chmakova ![]() NIGHTSCHOOL Volume 1 by Svetlana Chmakova Yen Press ISBN: 978-0-7595-2859-8 $10.99 ($11.99) 192 pages The first volume of bestselling Canadian manga creator Svetlana Chmakova's new series, Nightschool, is now available from Hachette's Yen Press. Originally serialized monthly in Yen+ magazine, Nightschool is Chmakova's follow-up to Dramacon, which was published by Tokyopop and is a regular on Sequential's Top 30 list. Subtitled "The Weirn Books", Nightschool tells the story of a young witch who leaves the security of her home-schooled life for a school full of werewolves, vampires, and other witches. The book is intended for teen readers. Labels: graphic novels, manga, Ontario, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Sunday, April 12, 2009 Publishing: Michael Cho NewsQuill and Quire reports that Toronto cartoonist Michael Cho has sold two new book projects to publishers. D+Q has picked up Cho's collection of Toronto back alley landscapes --a preview of which you can see at Cho's blog. As well, Cho has sold his first solo graphic novel to French and Spanish publishers. Titled Five Pieces, the book has been sold to Delcourt and Spain's Reservoir Books Mondadori. Cho is perhaps best known as an illustrator. His previous comics work includes illustrations for the Max Finder mystery series and work on Marvel's Age of the Sentry superhero series. Currently, Cho is continues to serialize his Papercut webcomic on Transmission X and blogging about his cartooning influences like Wally Wood, inbetween time off for taking care of a newborn baby. Labels: graphic novels, international, publishing, webcomics - Stumble It! - 0 comments Friday, April 10, 2009 Publishing: Jobnik 7 ![]() jobnik! issue 7 by Miriam Libicki 24 pages $3.50 Continuing the adventures of an American-Canadian girl in the Israeli army --the new issue picks up where the graphic novel left off (maybe we'll see another Gian Ghomeshi cameo?). Labels: floppies, graphic novels, publishing, Vancouver - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, April 09, 2009 Publishing: Secret Identities by Nicolas Mahler ![]() Secret Identities by Nicolas Mahler La Pasteque ISBN 978-2-922585-77-3 ISBN 978-2-922585-77-3 96 pages $ 24.95 ![]() Labels: art books, bd, graphic novels, publishing, Quebec, U.S. superhero franchises - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, April 08, 2009 The C-List: Once and Future Comics Item: Quill and Quire has the lowdown on a promotional comic book from Harper Collins: "the company sent retailers across the country about 4,000 copies of a promotional comic book it created, called The Literates. The comic features the exploits of bookselling superheroes Spine and Paige, who endeavour – in the first issue, at any rate – to convince a reader to purchase American author Christopher Moore's Fool. [...] The eight-page pamphlet has the look and feel of a real comic, and it comes in a protective plastic sleeve with cardboard backing, just like at a real comic book store." Item: David Collier, look out: You have a challenger in the Hamilton sketching department! McMaster art student Tings Chak is planning a monumental graphic novel about the people and architecture of Lunchbucket City. Item: The most cosmically significant comic book from DC this week features a story by Guelph homeboy Jay Stephens. Cartoon Network Action Pack #36 has a cover and interior art from Jay and is devoted to his tv show, The Secret Saturdays. Item: The Globe's James Adams reports that a new alternative to the canceled Book Expo will be held this summer. The new shindig, which publisher's are boycotting, is "prosaically called Canadian Booksellers Association Summer Conference 2009, will be held June 20-21 in a hotel on Toronto's downtown waterfront. Billed as "stronger, smarter, shorter and sweeter" than BookExpo, it promises a potpourri of events and opportunities - professional development sessions, an awards ceremony, panel discussions with publishing executives, author presentations, previews of marketing, promotion and advertising plans."Item: The first review I've seen of Seth's new graphic novel, George Sprott. Item: You can see more of the awesome Pascal Blanchet photo above in this article. Blanchet is also interviewed on CBC radio's Q (along with Billy Bob Thronton). Listen to the podcast. Labels: conventions, events, festivals, links, new books, publishing, reviews - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, April 02, 2009 The C-List: Floppies vs Hard-iesBulletins from the frontlines of the comic book apocalypse of awesomeness: Publishing: the long-awaited reunion of Grant Morrison and Cameron Stewart (7 Soldiers, Seaguy) begins its floppy serialization this week with the publication of Seaguy: The Slaves of Mickey Eye #1 (DC). I liked Seaguy as a one-shot concept when I read the first collection a few years back. Stewart's more-or-less "straight" action/superhero style was the perfect counterpoint to Morrison's surreal goof on stale adventure comics heroics. I'm not sure if I'm up for a second helping, though, since I prefer Stewart's more stylized work on Sin Titulo (I have to, or else my Art Comics Critic union card gets taken away). Publishing: Dave Sim's Glamourpuss #6 is out, featuring more of Sim's tracing old adventure strips and writing about comics history, all wrapped up in a bizarre parody of women's fashion magazines. It's kind of fascinating, really, in an odd way. Publishing: Since Tom Spurgeon mentioned it at Comics Reporter, I guess the cat's out of the bag: Seth's Palookaville comic book series, one of the longest-running art comics still extant, is switching to a hardcover format with the next issue. Besides including the ongoing serialization of the Clyde Fans graphic novel, the book will also have space for the cartoonist to examine other topics of interest, in various formats. Upcoming: On the international scene, the big news is the impending publication of Robert Crumb's Genesis project, going Moses or Harold Bloom's "J author" one better. Upcoming: Check out Chris Butcher's read through the Diamond Preview catalog for some gems from Canadian creators. Pt 1. Pt 2. Upcoming: New Reliable Press has some new stuff in the pipe --Jan's Atomic Heart by Simon Roy and the second volume of the True Loves anthology. Labels: anthologies, floppies, graphic novels, international, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, April 01, 2009 Harper, McGuinty announce $50M comics industry bailout packageFrom today's Globe and Mail: Sean Craig, Brad Mackay, Globe and Mail Update Labels: dollar, graphic novels, Ottawa, publishing, Toronto, trade - Stumble It! - 3 comments Friday, March 27, 2009 TCAF season | Sponsorships! - guerilla printing wants you! Now this is going to be timely and handy for someone, new small run printer Guerilla Printing is giving away 5 $500 sponsorships in print and marketing materials with a deadline that syncs up for TCAF rather well: April 10 2009. TCAF is May 9/10. If you are chosen, you will get 500 Business Cards, 250 Postcards, 30 Posters, 50 Buttons, 100 Stickers, 1 Table Sign, 1 Banner & 2 T-Shirts (Black) - sounds like a con kit! Guerilla is co founded by Tyrone McCarthy, but they don't just do comics - they say they're looking for musicians, writers, self publishers, illustrators, graphic artists, fine artists, & etc along with us panologists. So, pass it on! To apply check their site for the Application PDF form. I think i'll be doing some business with these guys myself, always nice to do so with people you know when you can. Talking now about it. They use a digital output system, not sure if i've seen anything by them yet already but Tyrone's own books always looked sharp! Labels: events, Ontario, printing, publishing, sale, small press, tcaf - Stumble It! - 0 comments Friday, March 13, 2009 Publishing: Stripmalling ![]() Stripmalling by Jon Paul Fiorentino illos and comics by Evan Munday ECW Press ISBN-10: 1-55022-859-5 ISBN-13: 978-1-55022-859-5 180pp $24.95 CAD Toronto booklaunch photos Globe review Q+Q review Labels: graphic novels, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Friday, February 27, 2009 Publishing: Jewish Memoir Goes Pow! Zap! Oy! from Miriam Libicki:i have a brand new drawn essay, jewish memoir goes pow! zap! oy! which was created for the anthology the jewish graphic novel: critical approaches (of which i will also have a very limited amount to sell). it's my longest, most wordy, & most nudiful essay yet! her previous drawn/watercolour essays were quite nice! Jewish Memoir Goes Pow! Zap! Oy! 24 pages $5 available here Labels: cartoon reportage, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, February 24, 2009 Scanning the Magazine Racks Some recent Canadian content from the few remaining print magazines (the ones made of paper). 1. The latest (and last) issue of upstart general interest comic zine Comic Foundry has a cover feature on Canada's Greatest Living Cartoonist of The Month, Bryan Lee O'Malley. As well, the issue devotes 2 pages to a Kate Beaton interview and Jillian Tamaki participates in one of those lame roundtable panel discussions where the participants have no contact with each other. The issue also features a best of 2008 list, tons of reviews, and more interviews with superhero creators and art comics nerds. 2. The latest issue of CNQ (Canadian Notes and Queries) is a wonderful anniversary issue (75 issues/40 years) that looks ahead another quarter century to 2034 to see what the cultural landscape of Canada may look like. Smart writers from various fields write short essays on the future of books, movies, newspapers, science fiction, poetry, cities, and even Canada itself. And graphic novels are not left out. Cartoonist-poet Sherwin Tjia contributes a great 2-page strip that artfully and obliquely takes on a tour of the graphic novel world of the future (hint: Bernie Mireault doesn't live in Canada anymore). 3. Broken Pencil #42 features a great history of tabloid newspapers in Canada, lots of minicomics reviews, and the great regular strip by Jason Turner where Turner draws comics about all the comics and zines he buys.Labels: publishing, zines - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, February 05, 2009 Weekly Bestsellers: February 4 ![]() The Top 30 Graphic Novels 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. Sales through 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. This list has two parts, the top 30 overall and (at the bottom) the top 30 by Canadian creators. See here for last week's list. Top 30 Comics and Graphic Novels in Canada 1. (1) Watchmen, Moore/Gibbons (DC) 2. (-) Naruto 34, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 3. (-) Naruto 35, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 4. (2) Naruto 33, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 5. (-) Tsubasa 20: Reservoir Chronicle, Clamp (Random House) 6. (3) Garfield Spills the Beans, Jim Davis (Random House) 7. (4) Marvel Chronicle, Tom DeFalco (DK) 8. (7) Fruits Basket 21, Takaya Natsuki (Tokyopop) 9. (6) Maximum Ride 1, James Patterson/NaRae Lee (Yen) 10. (8) Skim, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood) ----- 11. (13) Death Note 1, Ohba/Obata (VIZ) 12. (15) Bleach 25, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 13. (5) Home Sweat Home, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 14. (12) Naruto 2, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 15. (9) Simpsons Treehouse Horror, Groening et al (HarperCollins) 16. (-) Rosario+Vampire 5, Akihisa Ikeda (VIZ) 17. (-) Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl Adventure! 2, Ihara Shigekatsu (VIZ) 18. (17) Negima! 20, Ken Akamatsu (Random House) 19. (10) Naruto 32, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 20. (14) Naruto 31, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) ----- 21. (11) Complete Persepolis, Satrapi (Knopf) 22. (30) Death Note 2, Ohba/Obata (VIZ) 23. (21) Naruto 1, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 24. (16) Che, Spain (Verso) 25. (-) Vampire Knight 4, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 26. (-) The Walking Dead 9, Robert Kirkman et al (Image) 27. (-) Death Note 3, Ohba/Obata (VIZ) 28. (-) Death Note 5, Ohba/Obata (VIZ) 29. (-) Maus II, Spiegelman (Knopf) 30. (19) Black Cat 18, Yabuki Kentaro (VIZ) Standard explanation: The pattern that emerges from looking at these lists over a period of weeks is that certain books, especially manga series, continuously jostle with each other, sliding up and down the longer list on the strength of a new volume or a spate of purchases for the kiddies. This week: A ton of new manga titles, including the 500-pound gorilla Naruto. In total, BookManager lists over 4000 graphic novels, trades, and strip collections. It is a wondrous, scary place, where everything from Jack Kirby's The Demon to Jim Woodring's Complete Frank battle for supremacy, and where one sale in one tiny bookstore can move a book from #999 to #200 (and into the top 30). This is the battleground where you find books by Canadian creators and where our Canadian Top 30 comes from: Sequential's All-Canadian Top 30 from BookManager 1. (2) Skim, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood) 2. (1) Home Sweat Home, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 3. (3) Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q) 4. (6) The Burma Chronicles, Guy Delisle (D+Q) 5. (4) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 6. (5) Big Foot, Graham Roumieu (Plume) 7. (17) Essex County 1: Tales from the Farm, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 8. (8) Spirit 1, Darwyn Cooke (DC) 9. (7) The Plain Janes, Cecil Castellucci et al, (DC/Minx) 10. (-) Essex County 3, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) ----- 11. (10) Milk Teeth, Julie Morstad (D+Q) 12. (13) Drop-In, Dave Lapp (Conundrum) 13. (23) In Me Own Words: Bigfoot, Graham Roumieu (Plume) 14. (-) Scott Pilgrim 1, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) 15. (-) Middle Age Spread, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 16. (-) Essex County 2, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 17. (30) Dramacon Ultimate Edition, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 18. (-) Hall Of Best Knowledge, Ray Fenwick (Fanta) 19. (9) Ojingogo, Matt Forsythe (D+Q) 20. (11) Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) ----- 21. (12) the great hopeful someday, Elizabeth Belleveau (Condundrum) 22. (14) Keep The Home Fries Burning, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 23. (15) It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken, Seth (D+Q) 24. (-) Lillian the Legend, Kerry Byrne (Conundrum) 25. (20) The Big 5-0, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 26. (19) I Never Liked You, Chester Brown (D+Q) 27. (21) Just One More Hug, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 28. (22) Batman: Ego and other tales, Darwyn Cooke/Paul Grist (DC) 29. (24) Paul Goes Fishing, Michel Rabagliati (D+Q) 30. (-) Scott Pilgrim 2, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) After a long time, Skim by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki knocks Lynn Johnston off the #1 spot. A strong debut for Lillian the Legend --the story of a woman who walks across Canada-- at #24. ----- Please feel free to comment or email about these lists. Labels: bestsellers, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing, U.S. superhero franchises - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, February 04, 2009 Publishing: Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe ![]() The fifth volume of Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series drops today. O'Malley is in New York getting ready for the NY Comicon this weekend. THe book had a special midnight release at Jim Hanley's Universe shop earlier today and there is a signing and art show at Brooklyn's Rocketship store at 7PM. If there is an English-language comics phenomenon in North America today, it is the Scott Pilgrim series. Scott Pilgrim 5: Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe by Bryan Lee O'Malley Oni Press $11.95 ISBN: 978-1-934964-10-1 Diamond Code: DEC08 4184 Labels: book launches, graphic novels, international, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, January 28, 2009 Canadian Budget Quick LinksSome links to reports on the money devoted to culture in the Federal Budget, announced yesterday. Besides disapointing numbers for technology, the environment, and social programs, especially for the poor and unemployed, there were other areas that raised concerns. Culturally, very little new money overall was promised, even though something like the film and tv industry is bigger than the auto industry. Not much new for publishing, although museum/infrastructure and magazine subsidies. The CBC sums things up. The Globe: "almost nothing" rabble.ca charities respond The Star more to come, I'm sure... Labels: grants, links, publishing, real world - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, January 27, 2009 80s Renaissance ![]() Two new issues of comic book series by popular 1980s creators are out this week. Dave Sim's Glamourpuss #5 and Dean Motter's Mr. X #2 are impressive benchmarks for an ongoing renaissance of sorts for a perspective and style of comics that that was once pioneering but now is de rigueur. Both are available at comic shops tomorrow. It's funny that both are being serialized as floppies, rather than as complete graphic novels. Wasn't the transition to the graphic novel paradigm what the 80s were all about? And what does it say about the economy that these small circulation, oddball projects are still finding a home in the direct market? Sequential will keep you posted... Labels: floppies, op-ed, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Friday, January 23, 2009 R.I.P. Mensuhell ![]() Mensuhell is no more. I mentioned this when it was first announced last year, and again in the year-end wrap up, but I neglected to mention the actual appearance of the final issue. The long-running fanzine went out with a bang with issue #109 in December with a "Sergeant Pepper's"-style cover by cartoonist Sirkowski featuring many of the characters and cartooning styles that had appeared in the zine during its long run. Mensuhell was basically the best comics anthology published on a regular (monthly! for 6 years!) basis in Canada, responsible for introducing many young talents from the Quebec comics scene, as well as providing a home and community for more established cartoonists and fans. It was also a source of learned history about BDQ (bandes dessinees from Quebec). The few issues I have in my possession reveal that the zine was a veritable who's who of the times and of cartooning talent. Publisher Francis Hervieux should be congratulated for his long effort. As well, congratulations are in order for the many contributors. Good luck and bon voyage. There is a long discussion of the final issue at the BDQ forum (google translation). Labels: anthologies, bd, publishing, Quebec, zines - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, January 21, 2009 Publishing: Never As Bad As You Think ![]() One of the more graphically interesting webcomics of recent years, Never As Bad As You Think, by husband-and-wife team Stuart and Kathryn Immonen, is now available as a print graphic novel, from Boom! Studios. Publisher's blurb: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN artist Stuart Immonen teams up with HELLCAT writer Kathryn Immonen for a fascinating original graphic novel! NABAYT tracks the alarming failures of paranoid urbanites, murderous waitstaff, heart-broken ambulance drivers, mariachi bands, talking cats and dogs, people who like cake and many who wield knives for a variety of purposes. This full-color printing contains all 52 strips from the Immonens' year-long web project along with two new strips and fresh, revealing bios in a perfect-bound deluxe edition hardcover designed by the House of Immonen. A gorgeous collection in a handsome limited edition! Never As Bad As You Think Kathryn Immonen, Stuart Immonen Boom! Studios $15.99 January, 2009 ISBN13: 9781934506738 Diamond Code: OCT083926 preview Labels: graphic novels, publishing, webcomics - Stumble It! - 0 comments Monday, January 12, 2009 Publishing: 101 Ways to Kill Your Boss ![]() A new humour book from a cartoonist who is a regular feature of our bestseller list. 101 Ways to Kill Your Boss Graham Roumieu Plume/Penguin $12 isbn 978-0452290051 From the publisher: The author/illustrator of the hilarious Bigfoot: I Not Dead and Me Write Book comes out of the woods and charges straight into the corporate jungle. For any embittered employee who’s ever fantasized about executing the chief executive, Graham Roumieu takes the fantasy many steps further. Imagine how different work could be if you could: turn a World's Greatest Boss card into an eye-piercing paper airplane of death, create a corporate catapult, a lethal laser pointer, or even a urinal conversion kit (don't ask). This wickedly funny collection of black-and-white cartoons will induce uncontrollable laughter in every disgruntled underling and cranky cog who’s ever wanted their CEO DOA. Labels: humour, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, January 08, 2009 Udon to Launch Kids Manga Line ![]() Sort of old news now, but we try to give you the most complete coverage possible here at Sequential: Coming hard on the heels of its announcement of a Korean manwha line, UDON, Canada's largest manga publisher, has announced the launch of a children's manga line. The line, dubbed "UDON Kids," will feature translated Japanese comics targeted at the pre-teen market. According to UDON CEO Eric Ko, the titles "are meant to be enjoyed for their captivating stories, and are not trying to sell kids on the latest animated series or card game like too many manga series are these days." The series will launch in May, with The Big Adventures of Majoko Volume 1 by Tomomi Mizuna, and Ninja Baseball Kyuma Volume 1 by Shunshin Maeda. Labels: graphic novels, manga, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, January 07, 2009 Publishing: Baloney by Pascal Blanchet ![]() I just bought this on Tuesday from the local comic shop and it is a very pretty book, although I wish a cd had been included. Baloney by Pascal Blanchet 80 pages Drawn and Quarterly $16.95 ISBN: 9781897299661 publisher's copy: Following White Rapids --named "Best Comic of 2007" by The Onion—Pascal Blanchet brings us Baloney. Winds swirl and darkness reigns over a hamlet perched atop a craggy peak. Russian fatalism sets the tone as Blanchet orchestrates the tale of a village butcher, his disabled daughter, and her tutor, in their doomed uprising against the swaggering Duke Shostakov, local governor and owner of the only heating company in town. chapters/indigo Labels: graphic novels, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Publishing: Time Management for Anarchists ![]() self-published/No Media Kings 22 pages October, 2008 We missed this when it was released late last year. Available as a free download/pdf/webcomic/etc, this comic by creator Jim Munroe and illustrator Marc Ngui is a cartoon version of a talk Munroe (writer: Therefore Repent) has been giving at writer gatherings for awhile now. You can find it online, along with more details, here. Labels: publishing, webcomics - Stumble It! - 0 comments Saturday, December 27, 2008 Weekly Bestsellers: December 24 ![]() Perhaps the last of these lists for the year, featuring the bestselling comics-related books from the week before Christmas. The Top 30 Graphic Novels in Canada, courtesy of BookManager. The full list is available here. The list is compiled by BookManager based on sales through over 400 independent bookstores. Sales through 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. This list has two parts, the top 30 overall and (at the bottom) the top 30 by Canadian creators. See here for last week's list. Top 30 Comics and Graphic Novels in Canada 1. (1) Watchmen, Moore/Gibbons (DC) 2. (-) Naruto 33, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 3. (5) Garfield Spills the Beans, Jim Davis (Random House) 4. (6) Home Sweat Home, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 5. (8) Marvel Chronicle, Tom DeFalco (DK) 6. (3) Fruits Basket 21, Takaya Natsuki (Tokyopop) 7. (10) Simpsons Treehouse Horror, Groening et al (HarperCollins) 8. (4) Naruto 32, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 9. (7) Bleach 25, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 10. (14) Naruto 31, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) ----- 11. (-) DC Comics Encyclopedia, Rbt Greenburger (DK) 12. (-) Complete Persepolis, Satrapi (Knopf) 13. (18) Death Note 1, Ohba/Obata (VIZ) 14. (11) 30 Years of Laughs & Lasagna, Jim Davis (Random House) 15. (12) Skim, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood) 16. (-) Negima! 20, Ken Akamatsu (Random House) 17. (28) Simpsons Comics Dollars To Donuts, Groening et al (Harpercollins) 18. (21) Naruto 1, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 19. (9) What It Is, Lynda Barry (D+Q) 20. (-) Naruto 30, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) ----- 21. (20) Louis Riel, Brown (D+Q) 22. (-) Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl Adventure 2, Shigekatsu Ihara (VIZ) 23. (16) Dilbert: This Is the Part Where You Pretend to Add Value, Adams (Andrews McMeel) 24. (-) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 25. (-) Maus 1, Spiegelman (Knopf) 26. (-) The Joker (Hardcover), Azzarello/Bermejo (DC) 27. (-) The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home, King et al (Marvel) 28. (25) Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 19, Clamp (Random House) 29. (-) Marvel Encyclopedia, Tom Defalco (DK) 30. (-) Heroes, Various (DC) Standard explanation: The pattern that emerges from looking at these lists over a period of weeks is that certain books, especially manga series, continuously jostle with each other, sliding up and down the longer list on the strength of a new volume or a spate of purchases for the kiddies. This week: The return of some of the stronger sellers of the past year, just in time for the holiday gift-giving season. The only "new" book on the list is the 20th volume in the Negima translated manga series. In total, BookManager lists over 4000 graphic novels, trades, and strip collections. It is a wondrous, scary place, where everyone from Chris Onstad to Mort Todd to Edward Gorey battle for supremacy, and where one sale in one tiny bookstore can move a book from #999 to #200 (and into the top 30). This is also the place where you find books by Canadian creators and where our Canadian Top 30 comes from: Sequential's All-Canadian Top 30 from BookManager 1. (1) Home Sweat Home, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 2. (2) Skim, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood) 3. (3) Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q) 4. (5) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 5. (4) Big Foot, Graham Roumieu (Plume) 6. (6) The Burma Chronicles, Guy Delisle (D+Q) 7. (15) The Plain Janes, Cecil Castellucci et al, (DC/Minx) 8. (7) Ojingogo, Matt Forsythe (D+Q) 9. (8) Milk Teeth, Julie Morstad (D+Q) 10. (10) The Big 5-0, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) ----- 11. (30) Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, Guy Delisle (D+Q) 12. (14) Essex County 1: Tales from the Farm, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 13. (16) Never Wink at a Worried Woman, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 14. (9) Scott Pilgrim 1, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) 15. (-) Spirit 1, Darwyn Cooke (DC) 16. (-) Drop-In, Dave Lapp (Conundrum) 17. (12) Essex County 2: Ghost Stories, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 18. (17) the great hopeful someday, Elizabeth Belliveau (Conundrum) 19. (21) Paul Goes Fishing, Michel Rabagliati (D+Q) 20. (-) Middle Age Spread, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) ----- 21. (-) Zombies Calling, Faith Erin Hicks (Slave Labor) 22. (19) It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken, Seth (D+Q) 23. (11) It's the Thought That Counts, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 24. (-) Batman: Ego and other tales, Darwyn Cooke/Paul Grist (DC) 25. (13) Just One More Hug, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 26. (18) Dramacon Ultimate Edition, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 27. (20) Last Straw, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 28. (22) Graduation, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 29. (-) Dramacon 1, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 30. (24) Hall of Best Knowledge, Ray Fenwick (Fantagraphics) Labels: bestsellers, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing, U.S. superhero franchises - Stumble It! - 0 comments Friday, December 12, 2008 Publishing: Imagination contre les pigeons sp@mmeurs ![]() Imagination contre les pigeons sp@mmeurs : histoires quotidiennes peu ordinaires / by Christ Oliver, et al Vermillon, 2008. ISBN 978-1-897058-77-0 details here Labels: bd, comic strips, Montreal, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, December 09, 2008 The C-List: Comics Links-The Vancouver Province Province reveals the results of its reader poll for new strips. -The Collected Doug Wright now available for pre-order: Sure to be the publishing event of 2009! -New book of strips: Nature Calls by Berry Wijdeven (Epic Press, ISBN 978-1-55452-332-0 : $16.95). -The Comic Book Bin has the press release for Canadian manga publisher Udon signing with online webcomics folks Crunchyroll. -Missed it: Eric Braun launched a new b.d., Mondo Loco, along with a collective exhibit at USINE 106U : 160 Roy Est, Montreal last week. -The man who took Ezra Leveant to the Alberta Human Rights Commission over the publication of the Danish Mohammed cartoons has ironically started a free speech organization. Labels: Alberta, British Columbia, comic strips, graphic novels, links, publishing, Quebec, Vancouver - Stumble It! - 0 comments Monday, December 08, 2008 Publishing: Contes et legendes du Quebec ![]() I'm not sure, but I think this is the first publication of the new Glenat Quebec label since the publisher, the comics subsidiary of French giant Hachette, set up shop as a separate imprint in Quebec. The book is an anthology of horror stories featuring young artists selected by a jury of prominent cartoonists, writers, and comics retailers, along with the publisher, Christian Chevirer. See details here. Contes et legendes du Quebec by various (Jean-Sebastien Berube, Patrick Boutin-Gagne, Francois Lapierre, Daniel Lafrance, Normand Gregoire, Olivier Carpentier, Gautier Langevin, Gabriel Champagne, Serge Brouillet) Glenat Quebec $19.95 49 pages November 2008 ISBN : 9782923621098 a trailer for the book is available on youtube Labels: anthologies, bd, publishing, Quebec - Stumble It! - 0 comments Friday, November 28, 2008 Sequential's Holiday Wish List Based on the success of our 2008 Summer Reading List, I plan on running a series of "Wish Lists" from Sequential readers and comics people during the final weeks of the year. Yes, it's time to put on your "looking back" cap and ponder the past year's worth of comix. Please respond with your own lists via email. Please feel free to add any categories you see fit. And please feel free to forward to anyone who's opinion you value. Happy Holidays! The 2008 Sequential Comics Holiday Wish List (Please be as brief or as detailed as you please, and answer any or all questions.) 1. Your name and weblink/current project. 2. What was the overall best book published in 2008? (comix/graphic novel/manga/strip/history/webcomic/floppy/etc) 2. a) Best Canadian book? 3. What 2008 comic would you recommend for a young boy (5-10)? 4. What 2008 comic would you recommend for a young girl (5-10)? 5. What 2008 comic would you recommend for a teen boy? 6. What 2008 comic would you recommend for a teen girl? 7. What 2008 comic would you recommend for an adult woman 18-100? 8. What 2008 comic would you recommend for an adult man 18-100? 9. What comic would you most like to receive as a gift? 10. Was 2008 a good year for comics? Was it a good year for you? What effect will this recession thing have? 11. (suggested by Diana Tamblyn) Best guilty pleasure of 2008? Labels: holiday wish list, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, November 27, 2008 Friday: Pohadky Launch, MontrealLaunch of Pohadky by Pat Shewchuk and Marek Colek 7 pm, Friday, November 28th Librairie Drawn & Quarterly Book Store 211 Bernard Ouest, Montreal (514) 279-2224 (an exhibit of work by the duo is also coming up at Resistor Gallery in Toronto!) ![]() Labels: book launches, publishing, Quebec, Toronto - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, November 26, 2008 Publishing: Colosse x 4 ![]() Just in time for this weekend's Expozine in Montreal, a collection of four new books from Mecanique Generale: 1. (sans-titre) pascal girard colosse 006 ISBN 978-2-923664-05-7 6" x 3" 56 pages couleurs reliure allemande novembre 2008 (see above image) ![]() 2. Encore ca Julie Delporte colosse 007 ISBN 978-2-923664-06-4 6" x 4" 46 pages n+b reliure allemande novembre 2008 ![]() 3. La Suite de Minerve David Turgeon colosse 008 ISBN 978-2-923664-07-1 6" x 9" 120 pages n+b reliure allemande novembre 2008 ![]() 4. Demi-sommeil Jimmy Beaulieu colosse 009 ISBN 978-2-923664-08-8 5,25" x 7,25" 98 pages couleur reliure allemande novembre 2008 Labels: bd, graphic novels, publishing, Quebec - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, November 11, 2008 Publishing: Good-bye Marianne ![]() For Remembrance Day: Good-bye Marianne: A Story Of Growing Up In Nazi Germany story: Irene N. Watts pictures: Kathryn E. Shoemaker Tundra Books 978-0-88776-830-9 (0-88776-830-X) 14.99 Labels: graphic novels, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, November 06, 2008 Publishing: Jillian Tamaki Mini ![]() Jillian Tamaki has a new minicomic out, a mix of new and slightly older material. Diver! sions 2008 is 24 B&w pages and is available for $4 through her website. Labels: mini-comics, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, November 05, 2008 Publishing: Paul a Quebec ![]() The sixth album by Michel Rabagliati, Paul a Quebec, is set to be released by Pasteque in 2009. Labels: bd, graphic novels, publishing, Quebec - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, October 16, 2008 The Culture DeficitA new Statscan report indicates that Canada imports more print culture from the U.S. and China than it exports. The Globe's Simon Haupt has commentary. My own theory is that 99% consists of Naruto: Canada imported $3.96-billion worth of cultural products in 2007 - the last year for which statistics are available - while exporting only $1.96-billion worth of cultural goods. Printed materials account for the majority of imports, including $1.4-billion of books and $1.1-billion of newspaper and periodicals, while film and video imports were a comparatively paltry $297-million, or about 7.5 per cent. You can read the full government report here. Labels: international, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Monday, September 15, 2008 Publishing: Les Ravins by Phillipe Girard ![]() Les Ravins by Phillipe Girard Mecanique General reviews here and here Labels: bd, graphic novels, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Monday, September 08, 2008 Lost Chartier ![]() Albert Chartier (1912-2004) was one of Canada's greatest strip cartoonists, best-known for his extremely long-running strip Onesime, but most of his work is sadly out of print, with the exception of a few anthologies that have reprinted some strips over the last decade. As we reported earlier, the good news is that Les 400 Coups, a division of Montreal comics publisher Mecanique Generale, is publishing a collection of Chartier's sexy girl strips this fall. The book is called Albert Chartier: Une Piquant Petite Brunette and collects tons of the risque, mostly-silent strips that Chartier syndicated to one or two papers in Canada back in the 1960s. The bad news is that the publisher has some gaps in their collection and is making an appeal to collectors and archivists to help fill the gaps. Read the appeal from Jimmy B over at the bdq boards --translated here. (The best thing about the translation: apparently, thanks to this risque strip collection, we will now "be able to harness the peter.") As well, the family of Chartier is circulating a form letter to the head of Canada Post, requesting a stamp in honour of the cartoonist's 100th birthday in 2012. The full text is also at the link, as are many examples of the strips in question. Labels: bd, comic strips, comics history, help wanted, publishing, Quebec - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, August 26, 2008 Publishing: CTON's Super A-maze-ing Year of Crazy Comics ![]() OWL magazine stalwart Clayton Hanmer presents a collection of comics-goodness, CTON's Super A-maze-ing Year of Crazy Comics, Puzzles, Mazes, Blobs, & More! The Toronto-based cartoonist will be officially launching the book in September. OWL Books CTON blog Labels: kids comics, publishing, Toronto - Stumble It! - 0 comments Monday, August 25, 2008 Shock Effect production processShock Effect, a newly-minted sci-fi comic by Toronto writer Ian Daffern and Toronto artist John Lang, is in competition at DC Comics' publishing competition site, www.Zuda.com, at this link: www.zudacomics.com/node/543 www.Zuda.com is a site where artists submit their work and compete against similar comics, in order to win a publishing contract with publishing giant DC Comics. You can vote for them, offer critcism, leave comments about the comic and offer support. To promote their effort -and to drive people to their appearance at Zuda and encourage people to vote for them - Ian and John have put up a production blog, which includes a short documentary on their creative process, at www.shockeffect.blogspot.com Take a look, vote at www.Zuda.com, and consider leaving a comment - it ends Aug 28th. Best of luck, guys! Labels: publishing, Toronto, webcomics - Stumble It! - 1 comments Tuesday, August 19, 2008 Publishing: Von Allan's "Li'l Kids: road to god knows... adventures!" ![]() Prolific blogger Von Allan, who has posted ceaselessly on his efforts to create and market his first graphic novel, "The Road to God Knows", has some exciting news: a companion volume to the book is finished and available in print. See the press release below: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (August 17, 2008) -- Comic books and graphic novels have, over the past twenty years, become a widely embraced medium in book publishing. Initially dismissed as children's entertainment, comics have now developed a maturity and range of vision that rivals other forms of art and literature. Graphic novels are read by people from all walks of life and have reached a level of critical acceptance that was unheard of decades ago. This resurgence has been led by a number of young artists who bring unique voices to the medium. Von Allan, an Ottawa-based artist and graphic novelist, joins this group with his recently published graphic novel "Li'l Kids: road to god knows ... adventures!" Labels: book launches, graphic novels, Ontario, Ottawa, profiles, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Friday, August 15, 2008 More hot air about the so called DWA controversy. In response to The Doug Wright Awards' so called 'Canadian' language controversy, re: your defense of the Doug Wright Awards from Robert Haines. With all due respect to Robert, and due warning to future commenters. I don't have time to manually post comments for you. That's why we use an automated blogger system for the site, so I don't have to do things like that. It's password protected so that we don't get spammed to death. If you want to participate sign up. And if you waste my time with poorly thought through crap in my Email, If i do anything, it's more likely to be this - post you on the front page of the site to tear it apart. Don't get your hopes up, not doing it again for this subject. This one time to make a point, USE THE COMMENTS. Hello Max, I do not have a blog account and so I am unable to comment directly at Sequential. Please post this comment as found below: Bryan is deeply involved? I said closely involved, he helps organize at the events. I didn't characterize it as deep. I'll leave that for him to comment on if he feels inclined but it's truly irrelevant to the charge of discrimination. What this was about primarily. As for the the Prix Bedelys/hypothetical solution i proposed - I just suggested a collaboration, a sharing of resources, not a bloody "merger"! And how the hell is 'work alongside' any different from my 'trade for mutual benefit' or your 'pairing'. Don't be a prat. NOTHING comes up for the solid phrase "Canada's premier comic award" "Canada's premier comics and graphic novels awards" gets two hits, one is a TCAF/DWA site, the other is Dave Sim talking about the same auction as the first. To get anything else you have to take it out of quotes, and what you end up proving is that they are in fact well known in Lit circles, and have courted an elite profile from the start. Not THE. Take a look at the Jury Lineups. The press they get. The critical awareness of the work the nominate and awarded. Look up "Doug Wright Awards" in the news search. EXCLUDE us. EXCLUDE Brads past day job work at the CBC. what do you have? Along with many other sites, Walrus Magazine, Quill & Quire, Editor & Publisher, Publishers Weekly, Globe and Mail, etc. Not all nice long articles at all but some good coverage in some very prominent, NON comics media. The first two being Literary in fact. Do the same of ANY of the other awards currently in Canada. In the News search I ran on "The Shusters", not even "The Joe Shuster Awards" which draws a blank - I got one hit today, in an article about the DWA. It's a short reference about how the ONE thing they do, "nominally" better is award french language books....! hah! I love irony. Hey, I love that they are out there too, doing what they do. It's great they put together a special comity to nominate FR language books. I haven't got one bone to pick with any of the awards. But no others are an elite award with anything like a national profile! O_o [ <-this is me giving the hairy eye] The Shusters are Populous. Not elite. Not critically Primer. [ed: seems they switched, from their site-"Although these awards were chosen, in their first three incarnations, by a public vote, the process changed in 2007 to decision by a jury of individuals [ For the DWA, the Past Jury list includes Bruce McDonald, Mark Kingwell, Judy MacDonald, Lorenz Peter, Jessica Johnson, Ho Che Anderson, Marc Glassman, Katrina Onstad, Helena Reckitt, Mariko Tamaki. Chester Brown. Rebecca Caldwell, Nora Young, Jerry Ciccoritti & Don McKellar. Every year a film maker, at least one prominent member of the media if not two, someone from the Arts or Academia, and a critically significant cartoonist. With it's Jury's CV's on it's sleeve, and a purely Critical standard, ED: nominating a SINGLE book per Creator, The DWA are currently the most prominent, critically elite, highest standard bearing Award that ANYONE and EVERYONE in the country can be eligible for assuming they can fit into what is still, JUST TWO AWARDS CATEGORIES in ONE language. Because for now, it's a small operation despite it's critical standing and they do not have the time and money to do more! Would love to, but nope. ED: The Shusters have never had a Literary profile, it's not how they present themselves, or how the books they choose come off exclusively as a rule, as it pretty much is for the DWA. Great that they got a kick ass Jury now, but it's just true. Even the prize is a lot more classic comic book humble. Compared to this? The JSA don't promote an elite image, it's just a fact. They are not intentionally Literary at all. The DWA does, and is. And I don't think they are going to apologize for that. It's how they started, it's what they are all about. All of this only proves they have one front on which they truly discriminate, QUALITY. You can call it a small operation. Call it elitist. You can point out how incredibly small the community is leading to some very close associations that are frankly unavoidable. This is true for all awards let alone the all the comics awards in Canada. You could suggest we should sit around and wait for someone outside of the community to notice the work - which would be stupid. Far better we got off our asses and brought the outside in to see the work. Hey, you can even talk about how funny it was when Seth was given the very trophy he built himself the first year, and turned bright red and said himself how someone should have stopped that from happening as the jury sat and chuckled at him. Darwin Cooke also i suspect was bright red, when he stormed out of the ceremony yelling 'this is bullshit' and went to drink some more at the bar. That was pretty funny. But excluding Seth's book from the list, given it was the most wildly reviewed and lauded comic of the season hands down even without the nomination! Would have made the DWA claim to be for the Best Book false. It would have been the best book, barring having to compete with Seth's. He was asked to make the trophies before his book came out and was eligible for the list, or the list had even been drawn up. What ya' going to do? It's a small fucking scene people, thousands of creators but the cream is a thin skim on the top of it. And as it turns out a few creators of that caliber are amongst the ones who thought recognition for this kind of achievement was lacking in Canada and took it upon themselves to begin to do something about it. I personally cant thank them enough, even know I also personally felt out of my place at times being nominated that first year. Yep, that's right, I was nominated and here I am, dyslexic and too damn busy but still the guy running the ONLY web site so far dedicated exclusively to Canadian comics coverage and who cant get any of you other geeks to contribute unless it's to try to tear down shit. When if ever are more people in the 'community' going to work towards something instead of against? It's a FUCKING small scene and a lot of it is bloody lazy or superficial. Pardon my french. And you can complain all you like about that stuff. I, and I'm sure the DWA organizers will shrug and say, what's your point? Do you suggest it would be better not to have the DWA at all? 'cus these are the options for now. No one else was stepping up to do the job, to put an award like this together at all! The Shusters started around the same time and have very different goals. Before that, ZIP for a dog's age. So a group of Journalists, Critics, Super Fans and a couple of creators got together and made it happen with the help of the Wright family and some amazing volunteers. What have you done Robert? Better be good trying to pull this one. And I mean outside of being Deeply Involved with the Shusters yourself? That's great you doing that, but it brings your critique into some light don't it? Course line of it's a small world after all goes here. Calling the DWA anything else is BS. Calling it pretentious is redundant, and calling it, or suggesting it's bigoted against French comics or French creators is not only steaming hot BS, it's also offensive, dirty politics gaming, confrontational, and unsubstantiated. AND TO BE CLEAR, that was what Herve charged the DWA with. 100% FAIL Good day sir. Max Douglas, aka Salgood Sam. PS: want to comment on this? USE THE COMMENTS. Labels: awards, blogosphere, can-con, events, festivals, Letter to the Editor, publishing, tcaf - Stumble It! - 7 comments Tuesday, August 05, 2008 Publishing: Scott Pilgrim Full-Colour Odds & Ends 2008 ![]() Scott Pilgrim Full-Colour Odds & Ends 2008 Bryan Lee O'Malley, writer/artist Oni, July 2008 32 pages read about it here Labels: floppies, graphic novels, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Friday, July 25, 2008 QuicklySome quick links to recent news and views from the world of Canadian comics, for your weekend reading:
Labels: events, Halifax, links, Nova Scotia, pod casts, publishing, Quebec - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, July 24, 2008 MensuHell To End Monthly Publication ![]() The long-running Quebec comics fanzine MensuHell will cease publication on a monthly basis by the end of 2008, according to a post on the BDQ forums (see translated version here). According to MensuHell editor/publisher Francis Hervieux, "the MesnuHell as you know it is coming to an end." The zine has showcased a wide array of Quebec comics talent since beginning in 1995. The zine was originally titled Requin Roll Presente but changed to MensuHell and more regular publication in 2000. Each month the zine presents a combination of serialized comics, historical articles, gags, and short stories, ranging from the work of first-timers to well-established pros and writers about comics. Labels: bd, publishing, Quebec, zines - Stumble It! - 1 comments Wednesday, July 23, 2008 Publishing: The Apocalipstix ![]() Out today, The Apocalipstix by writer Ray Fawkes and artist Cameron Stewart. The first volume in a new series published by U.S. graphic novel publisher Oni Press, the book follows the adventures of an all-female rock band. THE APOCALIPSTIX, Vol. 1 $11.95 Pages: 144 ISBN: 978-1-932664-45-4 Diamond Code: MAY08 4059 website A 50-page preview is available here. See the book profile in the Toronto Star. Labels: comics with music, graphic novels, Ontario, publishing, Toronto - Stumble It! - 0 comments Publishing: Mysterious Minute-Men ![]() Mike Aragona's The Mysterious Minute-Men Omnibus is now available. A 254 page book collecting the superhero parody serialized in the Aragona-edited fanzine/APA Comicopia. Labels: publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, July 10, 2008 Doing the Rounds ![]() Summer Reading Part I: Since I had only 3 hours sleep Tuesday night, today I read 4 old Lois Lane comics, Billy Hazelnuts, Joe Ollman's Chewing on Tinfoil, and an old issue of the Cherkas/Hancock Suburban Nightmares series that I found for 50 cents at the BMV on Bloor Street ... as well as the information at the following links: Comic book collection stolen in Kincardine. The U.S. vs Canada, in caricature. Merriam-Webster dictionary finally lists "fanboy." Happy 10th Anniversary, Editions La Pasteque, publisher of fine French-language graphic novels! Robin Bougie on stealing money to buy comics when he was a kid. Part One. Part 2. The most popular graphic novels in Canada are translated comics from Japan. Chris Butcher comments on the state of the manga industry in North America: Part One. Part 2. (top image: Michael Nicoll Yahgulanass' "Haida Manga Bear") Labels: graphic novels, links, publishing, summer reading - Stumble It! - 0 comments Crystal Fractal Comics at Paradise ConIt's easy to get your press release or publishing news linked to at Sequential, Just email us and watch the magic happen! The book below is debuting at this coming weekend's Paradise Comics Convention in Toronto. CRYSTAL FRACTAL COMICS DEBUTS WITH PARADISE TORONTO COMICON PREVIEW EDITION OF "CRYSTAL FRACTAL UNIVERSE 0.0" Labels: conventions, events, Ontario, publishing, Toronto - Stumble It! - 0 comments Monday, July 07, 2008 New Books from Les 400 Coups ![]() Michel Viau lists the upcoming (August to October) graphic novel and strip releases from Les 400 Coups and Mecanique Generale. Included in the list is a French-language reprint of Jules Feiffer's Tantrum graphic novel and a collection of strips by Albert Chartier, Une piquante petite brunette. Labels: bd, graphic novels, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, June 26, 2008 Publishing: New Releases, Summer 2008 ![]() Some new books from Canadian creators that are now out or soon will be: Chiggers, Hope Larson A young adult book about girls at a summer camp from publisher Simon & Schuster. Rabbit and Bear Paws 2: The Voyageurs, Chad Solomon & Christopher Meyer Continuing the adventures of the Ojibway Asterix and Obelix. (See my review of the first volume here.) No Girls Allowed, Susan Hughes & Willow Dawson A collection of stories about famous "Joan of Arc" types (Kids Can Press). Claire and the Bakery Thief, Janice Poon A mystery graphic novel for 7-10 year olds, with recipes! (Kids Can Press) Are you publishing a new book or is there a book you would like to see mentioned on Sequential? Please let us know. Labels: graphic novels, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, June 18, 2008 Today: Ditko Book Launch, TorontoToronto writer and blogger Blake Bell celebrates the release of his long-awaited Steve Ditko biography. Ditko is one of the top-twenty post-war creators of U.S. kids' comics (Spider-Man, Marvel monster and horror comics) who also has had a very interesting career as a creator of highly personal and idiosyncratic politico-philosophical comics. Bell has spent years researching his life and work. The World of Steve Ditko Book Launch, with author Blake Bell (includes a screening of the BBC documentary film about Ditko) In partnership with The Merrill Collection and the Beguiling Wednesday, June 18th 7PM-9PM Lillian H. Smith Library, 239 College St. (at Spadina) FREE ![]() Labels: book launches, comics history, Ontario, publishing, Toronto, trade, U.S. superhero franchises - Stumble It! - 0 comments Friday, June 13, 2008 Today: Book Expo CanadaToday and this Weekend in Toronto: Book Expo Canada Chris Butcher has the lowdown on several comics-specific panels. Book Expo is the annual trade show run by trade show giant (and Publishers Weekly owner) Reed. For the last few years, both the U.S. and Canada shows have a large comics/graphic novel showcase, with publishers and distributors showing their wares. Kind of like a comics con, except with authors and business people in suits and no costumes (except for the odd kids' book character like Dora the Explorer). June 12-16 Metro Toronto Convention Centre North Building Labels: comics retailers, events, graphic novels, Ontario, publishing, Toronto - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, May 20, 2008 D+Q to Reprint John Stanley ClassicsSequential heard about this "secret" reprint project a few weeks ago but now it's official: Montreal's Drawn and Quarterly will be reprinting classic kids comics series Melvin Monster, Thirteen Going on Eighteen, Kookie, and Dunc and Loo, all by cartoonist John Stanley, the artist/writer behind Little Lulu. Stanley's non-Lulu comics have long been championed by D+Q cartoonist Seth and now it looks like his publisher has taken up the torch, as these blog posts reveal. Labels: publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, May 13, 2008 Tonite: Billy Mavreas Booklaunch, MontrealJust a reminder. See here for details. INSIDE OUTSIDE OVERLAP 7:00pm - 11:00pm Casa Del Popolo 4873 St-Laurent Montreal Labels: book launches, events, graphic novels, Montreal, publishing, Quebec - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, April 10, 2008 Acadieman Goes Number Two ![]() Sequential welcomes your press releases and news about Canadian comics. This candidate for best title for a press release was emailed to me by 3 separate people: Acadieman goes number two with the help of his friends Labels: floppies, Moncton, New Brunswick, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Friday, April 04, 2008 Weekly Bestsellers in Canada: April 3 ![]() The Top 50 Graphic Novels in Canada, courtesy of BookManager. The full list is available here. The list is compiled by BookManager based on sales through over 400 independent bookstores. Sales through 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. This list has two parts, the top 50 overall and (at the bottom) the top 30 by Canadian creators. I've added last week's ranking in parentheses, with a (-) indicating an absence from the top 50 last week --although books that were not in the top 50 last week were most likely in the top 100, with the possible exception of a few newly published hits Top 50 Comics and Graphic Novels in Canada 1. (2) Naruto 28, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 2. (1) Fruits Basket 19, Natsuki Takay (Tokyopop) 3. (-) Vampire Knight 4, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 4. (3) Fullmetal Alchemist 16, Hiromu Arakawa (VIZ) 5. (15) Naruto 27, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 6. (4) Negima! 17: Magister Negi Magi, Toshifumi/Hiroe (Random House) 7. (30) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 8. (11) Death Note 2, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 9. (5) Death Note 1, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 10. (14) Naruto 1, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 11. (7) Naruto 2, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 12. (6) Jellaby, Kean Soo (Hyperion) 13. (9) Death Note 4, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 14. (31) Complete Persepolis, Satrapi (Knopf) 15. (8) Vampire Knight 2, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 16. (13) Naruto 26, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 17. (10) Naruto 3, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 18. (12) Death Note 12, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 19. (-) Dark Wraith of Shannara, Terry Brooks et al (Random House) 20. (24) Death Note 3, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) ----- 21. (17) Garfield Goes Bananas, Jim Davis (Random House) 22. (16) Fruits Basket 1, Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop) 23. (21) Bleach, Vol. 22, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 24. (-) Naruto 20, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 25. (-) Naruto 19, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 26. (32) Death Note 13, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 27. (19) Death Note 7, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 28. (-) Yozakura Quartet , Suzuhito Yasuda/Satsuki Yamashita (Random House) 29. (18) Vampire Knight 3, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 30. (-) Skim, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood) 31. (20) Dark Tower:The Gunslinger Born, Peter David (Marvel) 32. (38) Naruto 24, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 33. (22) Persepolis 1, Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon) 34. (45) Death Note 5, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 35. (27) Black Cat 13, Kentaro Yabuk (VIZ) 36. (25) Naruto 25, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 37. (43) Authoritative Calvin And Hobbes, Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel) 38. (-) Naruto 22, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 39. (-) Naruto 4, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 40. (26) Death Note 6, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) ----- 41. (-) Naruto 23, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 42. (-) Asterix and the Falling Sky,, Uderzo (Orion) 43. (-) Bleach 2, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 44. (-) Watchmen, Moore/Gibbons (DC) 45. (41) Hell Girl 1, Miyuki Eto (Random House) 46. (-) Naruto 5, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 47. (-) Essential Calvin And Hobbes, Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel) 48. (-) Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons, Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel) 49. (39) One Piece 17, Eiichiro Oda (VIZ) 50. (23) Vampire Knight 1, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) The graphic version of Terry Brooks' Shannara fantasy novels, Dark Wraith of Shannara makes an impressive debut at #19. Likewise a high debut for a Canadian book that has been creeping up the All-Canadian list, Skim, at #30. See here for last week's list. The pattern that emerges from looking at these lists over a period of weeks is that certain books, especially manga series, continuously jostle with each other, sliding up and down the longer list on the strength of a new volume or a spate of purchases for the kiddies. The BookManager List is a wondrous, scary place, where everyone from Todd Hignite to Charles Schulz to Dan DeCarlo to Oor Willie to Avril Lavigne duke it out and where one sale in one tiny bookstore can move a book from #999 to #200. This is also the place where you find books by Canadian creators and where our Canadian Top 25 comes from: Sequential's All-Canadian Top 30 from BookManager 1. (2) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 2. (1) Jellaby, Kean Soo (Hyperion) 3. (5) Skim, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood) 4. (3) Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, Chester Brown (D+Q) 5. (25) The Spirit (Hardcover), Darwyn Cooke Jeph Loeb J Bone (DC) 6. (7) The New Frontier 2 (Paperback), Darwyn Cooke (DC) 7. (-) Paul Goes Fishing, Michel Rabagliati (D+Q) 8. (4) Essex County 1: Tales From the Farm, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 9. (-) Invaders from the North: How Canada Conquered the Comic Book Universe, John Bell (Dundurn) 10. (12) Extraction!: a comix reportage, Tessier/Dubois (Cumulous) ----- 11. (6) Teaching is a Learning Experience!, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 12. (8) The New Frontier 1 (Paperback), Darwyn Cooke (DC) 13. (13) I Never Liked You, Chester Brown (D+Q) 14. (14) She's Turning into One of Them!, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 15. (19) Keep the Home Fries Burning, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 16. (22) Milk Teeth, Julie Morstad (D+Q) 17. (21) Therefore Repent! Jim Munroe Salgood Sam (NMK/IDW) 18. (28) Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) 19. (-) Never Wink at a Worried Woman, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 20. (-) Northwest Passage, Scott Chantler (Oni) ----- 21. (-) Just One More Hug, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 22. (-) Zombies Calling!, Faith Erins Hicks (Slave Labor) 23. (-) Middle Aged Spread, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 24. (9) The BackBench Collection, Graham Harrop (Ronsdale) 25. (10) Last Straw (1985), Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 26. (16) White Rapids, Pascal Blanchet (D+Q) 27. (17) Albert and the Others, Guy Delisle (D+Q) 28. (15) Essex County 2: Ghost Stories, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 29. (18) Dramacon 3, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 30. (20) Dramacon 2, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) I think Zombies Calling! is the only new new book on the list. Everything else has been off and on the list for some time. The top 4 on the All-Canadian list rank in the top 60 overall. #5 ranks at 125 overall. #8 is 360 overall. #14 is 560 overall. #22 is 800 overall. Etc. Labels: analysis, bestsellers, BookManager, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, March 26, 2008 Weekly Bestsellers in Canada: March 26 ![]() The Top 50 Graphic Novels in Canada, courtesy of BookManager. The full list is available here. The list is compiled by BookManager based on sales through over 400 independent bookstores. Sales through 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. This list has two parts, the top 50 overall and (at the bottom) the top 30 by Canadian creators. I've added last week's ranking in parentheses, with a (-) indicating an absence from the top 50 last week --although books that were not in the top 50 last week were most likely in the top 100, with the possible exception of a few newly published hits Top 50 Comics and Graphic Novels in Canada 1. (-) Fruits Basket 19, Natsuki Takay (Tokyopop) 2. (1) Naruto 28, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 3. (21) Fullmetal Alchemist 16, Hiromu Arakawa (VIZ) 4. (2) Negima! 17: Magister Negi Magi, Ken Akamatsu Toshifumi Yoshida Ikoi Hiroe (Random House) 5. (4) Death Note 1, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 6. (8) Jellaby, Kean Soo (Hyperion) 7. (17) Naruto 2, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 8. (50) Vampire Knight 2, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 9. (11) Death Note 4, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 10. (-) Naruto 3, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 11. (16) Death Note 2, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 12. (-) Death Note 12, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 13. (5) Naruto 26, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 14. (10) Naruto 1, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 15. (3) Naruto 27, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 16. (-) Fruits Basket 1, Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop) 17. (28) Garfield Goes Bananas, Jim Davis (Random House) 18. (31) Vampire Knight 3, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 19. (35) Death Note 7, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 20. (34) Dark Tower:The Gunslinger Born, Peter David (Marvel) ----- 21. (9) Bleach, Vol. 22, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 22. (7) Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon) 23. (33) Vampire Knight 1, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 24. (-) Death Note 3, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 25. (6) Naruto Vol. 25, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 26. (18) Death Note 6, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 27. (32) Black Cat, Vol. 13, Kentaro Yabuk (VIZ) 28. (13) Chibi Vampire 7, Kagesaki Yuna (Tokyopop) 29. (37) Death Note 8, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 30. (29) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 31. (22) Complete Persepolis, Satrapi (Knopf) 32. (14) Death Note 13, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 33. (19) Bleach 1, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 34. (-) Fullmetal Alchemist 1, Hiromu Arakawa (VIZ) 35. (20) xxxHOLiC 11, Clamp (Random House) 36. (-) Death Note 9, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 37. (39) Fruits Basket 2, Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop) 38. (15) Naruto Vol. 24, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 39. (38) One Piece 17, Eiichiro Oda (VIZ) 40. (-) Best of Pokemon Adventures: Red:Red, Hidenori Kusaka Mato (VIZ) ----- 41. (27) Hell Girl 1, Miyuki Eto (Random House) 42. (44) Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, Chester Brown (D+Q) 43. (30) Authoritative Calvin And Hobbes, Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel) 44. (46) Hack Gu 1, Hamazaki Tatsuya (Tokyopop) 45. (-) Death Note 5, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 46. (-) Persepolis 2, Marjane Satrapi (Knopf) 47. (24) Wild Ones 2, Kiyo Fujiwara (VIZ) 48. (25) Maus I, Art Spiegelman (Knopf) 49. (23) Tsubasa 16: Reservoir Chronicle, Clamp (Random House) 50. (43) Mamotte! Lollipop 5, Michiyo Kikuta (Random House) Naruto and Death Note seem to be having a friendly competition for most books in the top 50. See here for last week's list. . The pattern that emerges from looking at these lists over a period of weeks is that certain books, especially manga series, continuously jostle with each other, sliding up and down the longer list on the strength of a new volume or a spate of purchases for the kiddies. The BookManager List is a wondrous, scary place, where everyone from Todd Hignite to Charles Schulz to Dan DeCarlo to Oor Willie to Avril Lavigne duke it out and where one sale in one tiny bookstore can move a book from #999 to #200. This is also the place where you find books by Canadian creators and where our Canadian Top 25 comes from: Sequential's All-Canadian Top 30 from BookManager 1. (1) Jellaby, Kean Soo (Hyperion) 2. (2) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 3. (3) Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, Chester Brown (D+Q) 4. (4) Essex County 1: Tales From the Farm, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 5. (10) Skim, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood) 6. (5) Teaching is a Learning Experience!, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 7. (15) The New Frontier 2 (Paperback), Darwyn Cooke (DC) 8. (16) The New Frontier 1 (Paperback), Darwyn Cooke (DC) 9. (6) The BackBench Collection, Graham Harrop (Ronsdale) 10. (7) Last Straw (1985), Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) ----- 11. (17) The Plain Janes, Cecil Castellucci et al (DC/Minx) 12. (-) Extraction!: a comix reportage, Tessier/Dubois (Cumulous) 13. (-) I Never Liked You, Chester Brown (D+Q) 14. (24) She's Turning into One of Them!, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 15. (8) Essex County 2: Ghost Stories, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 16. (25) White Rapids, Pascal Blanchet (D+Q) 17. (27) Albert and the Others, Guy Delisle (D+Q) 18. (9) Dramacon 3, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 19. (-) Keep the Home Fries Burning, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 20. (23) Dramacon 2, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) ----- 21. (11) Therefore Repent! Jim Munroe Salgood Sam (NMK/IDW) 22. (12) Milk Teeth, Julie Morstad (D+Q) 23. (13) Degrassi Extra Credit 3: Missing You, J Torres/Eric Kim (Pocket) 24. (14) There Goes My Baby, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 25. (19) The Spirit (Hardcover), Darwyn Cooke Jeph Loeb J Bone (DC) 26. (20) Degrassi Extra Credit 4, J Torres Steve Rolston (Pocket) 27. (21) What, Me Pregnant? (1991) Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 28. (18) Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) 29. (22) Dramacon 1, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 30. (-) Scott Pilgrim 3, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) Multiple books in the top 30 for Chester Brown, Lynn Johnston, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Svetlana Chmakova, Darwyn Cooke, J. Torres, and Jeff Lemire! Although a perennial favourite, Brown's I Never Liked You is the only new entry to the list that hasn't been seen there in the last 5 months. Forgivable, since it was originally published in 2004. The New Frontier franchise continues its resurgence, spurred by dvd and comic book sales, perhaps? Of the most recently published, Skim seems to be showing the fastest growth outside the #1 spot. Labels: analysis, bestsellers, BookManager, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, March 20, 2008 Weekly Bestsellers in Canada: March 20 ![]() The Top 50 Graphic Novels in Canada, courtesy of BookManager. The full list is available here. The list is compiled by BookManager based on sales through over 400 independent bookstores. Sales through 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. This list has two parts, the top 50 overall and (at the bottom) the top 30 by Canadian creators. I've added last week's ranking in parentheses, with a (-) indicating an absence from the top 50 last week --although books that were not in the top 50 last week were most likely in the top 100, with the possible exception of a few newly published hits Top 50 Comics and Graphic Novels in Canada 1. (1) Naruto, Vol. 28, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 2. (2) Negima! 17: Magister Negi Magi, Ken Akamatsu Toshifumi Yoshida Ikoi Hiroe (Random House) 3. (4) Naruto Vol. 27, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 4. (3) Death Note, Vol. 1, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 5. (6) Naruto Vol. 26, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 6. (9) Naruto Vol. 25, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 7. (16) Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon) 8. (14) Jellaby, Kean Soo (Hyperion) 9. (5) Bleach, Vol. 22, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 10. (7) Naruto Vol. 1, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 11. (17) Death Note 4, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 12. (8) Death Note 3, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 13. (18) Chibi Vampire 7, Kagesaki Yuna (Tokyopop) 14. (15) Death Note 13, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 15. (11) Naruto Vol. 24, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 16. (10) Death Note 2, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 17. (12) Naruto, Vol. 2, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 18. (21) Death Note 6, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 19. (33) Bleach 1, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 20. (-) xxxHOLiC 11, Clamp (Random House) ----- 21. (-) Fullmetal Alchemist 16, Hiromu Arakawa (VIZ) 22. (40) Complete Persepolis, Satrapi (Knopf) 23. (13) Tsubasa 16: Reservoir Chronicle, Clamp (Random House) 24. (23) Wild Ones 2, Kiyo Fujiwara (VIZ) 25. (-) Maus I, Art Spiegelman (Knopf) 26. (22) Death Note 5, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 27. (-) Hell Girl 1, Miyuki Eto (Random House) 28. (19) Garfield Goes Bananas, Jim Davis (Random House) 29. (20) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 30. (45) Authoritative Calvin And Hobbes, Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel) 31. (48) Vampire Knight 3, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 32. (24) Black Cat, Vol. 13, Kentaro Yabuk (VIZ) 33. (31) Vampire Knight 1, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 34. (50) Dark Tower:The Gunslinger Born, Peter David (Marvel) 35. (-) Death Note 7, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 36. (25) Naruto 23, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 37. (-) Death Note 8, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 38. (35) One Piece 17, Eiichiro Oda (VIZ) 39. (-) Fruits Basket 2, Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop) 40. (-) Fruits Basket 4, Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop) ----- 41. (-) Star Wars Clone Wars Adventures 1, Haden Blackman, et al (Dark Horse) 42. (-) My Heavenly Hockey Club 4, Ai Morinaga (Random House) 43. (-) Mamotte! Lollipop 5, Michiyo Kikuta (Random House) 44. (39) Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, Chester Brown (D+Q) 45. (26) Fruits Basket 18, Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop) 46. (28) Hack Gu 1, Hamazaki Tatsuya (Tokyopop) 47. (29) Bleach 20, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 48. (27) Naruto, Official Fanbook, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 49. (-) Watchmen, Moore/Gibbons (DC) 50. (30) Vampire Knight 2, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) I believe these numbers reflect part of March Break and an increase in youngsters buying more Naruto (Volume 28 has certainly spurred sales of closer volumes in the series) as well as Death Note (everyone's favourite manga about a highschool-aged mass murderer). A couple newly-published manga at 42 & 43, as well. See here for last week's list. . The pattern that emerges from looking at these lists over a period of weeks is that certain books, especially manga series, continuously jostle with each other, sliding up and down the longer list on the strength of a new volume or a spate of purchases for the kiddies. The BookManager List is a wondrous, scary place, where everyone from Todd Hignite to Charles Schulz to Dan DeCarlo to Oor Willie to Avril Lavigne duke it out and where one sale in one tiny bookstore can move a book from #999 to #200. This is also the place where you find books by Canadian creators and where our Canadian Top 25 comes from: Sequential's All-Canadian Top 30 from BookManager 1. (3) Jellaby, Kean Soo (Hyperion) 2. (1) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 3. (2) Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, Chester Brown (D+Q) 4. (4) Essex County 1: Tales From the Farm, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 5. (11) Teaching is a Learning Experience!, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 6. (24) The BackBench Collection, Graham Harrop (Ronsdale) 7. (23) Last Straw (1985), Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 8. (5) Essex County 2: Ghost Stories, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 9. (6) Dramacon 3, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 10. (7) Skim, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood) ----- 11. (8) Therefore Repent! Jim Munroe Salgood Sam (insomniac/IDW) 12. (-) Milk Teeth, Julie Morstad (D+Q) 13. (21) Degrassi Extra Credit 3: Missing You, J Torres/Eric Kim (Pocket) 14. (-) There Goes My Baby, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 15. (-) The New Frontier 2 (Paperback), Darwyn Cooke (DC) 16. (25) The New Frontier 1 (Paperback), Darwyn Cooke (DC) 17. (10) The Plain Janes, Cecil Castellucci et al (DC/Minx) 18. (9) Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) 19. (30) The Spirit (Hardcover), Darwyn Cooke Jeph Loeb J Bone (DC) 20. (-) Degrassi Extra Credit 4, J Torres Steve Rolston (Pocket) ----- 21. (-) What, Me Pregnant? (1991) Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 22. (12) Dramacon 1, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 23. (13) Dramacon 2, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 24. (14) She's Turning into One of Them!, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 25. (15) White Rapids, Pascal Blanchet (D+Q) 26. (16) Scott Pilgrim 3, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) 27. (17) Albert and the Others, Guy Delisle (D+Q) 28. (19) Family Business, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 29. (18) Never Wink at a Worried Woman, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 30. (20) Graphic Witness: Four Wordless Graphic Novels, ed. George A Walker (Firefly) Canadian cartoonists, do not despair! It is the case with this list that on oany given week, a 17-year-old collection of For Better or For Worse comic strips will outsell your graphic novel. It is just a fact of the universe. I feel safe in saying that Darwyn Cooke's New Frontier (inexplicably still available in multilpe volumes and formats) got a boost this week from the release of the dvd animated adaptation. Labels: analysis, bestsellers, BookManager, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing - Stumble It! - 3 comments Monday, March 17, 2008 Colin Upton Needs Cheering Up ![]() A bad week for Mr. Big Thing, aka Vancouver cartoonist Colin Upton. He got turned down for a Canada Council grant and then he got some crappy medical news. In Other News:
Labels: blogosphere, British Columbia, comics on film, comics on tv, Edmonton, graphic novels, publishing, reviews, Vancouver - Stumble It! - 0 comments Friday, March 14, 2008 Weekly Bestsellers in Canada: March 13 ![]() The Top 50 Graphic Novels in Canada, courtesy of BookManager. The full list is available here. The list is compiled by BookManager based on sales through over 400 independent bookstores. Sales through comic shops and larger retailers like Chapters-Indigo and Walmart are not reflected in this list. For balance, you might want to try the Amazon.ca and Chapters-Indigo lists. This list has two parts, the top 50 overall and (at the bottom) the top 25 by Canadian creators. Top 50 Comics and Graphic Novels in Canada 1. (-) Naruto, Vol. 28, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 2. (-) Negima! 17: Magister Negi Magi, Ken Akamatsu Toshifumi Yoshida Ikoi Hiroe (Random House) 3. (12) Death Note, Vol. 1, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 4. (9) Naruto Vol. 27, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 5. (1) Bleach, Vol. 22, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 6. (5) Naruto Vol. 26, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 7. (13) Naruto Vol. 1, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 8. (11) Death Note, Volume 3, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 9. (4) Naruto Vol. 25, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 10. (21) Death Note, Vol. 2, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 11. (32) Naruto Vol. 24, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 12. (2) Naruto, Vol. 2, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 13. (3) Tsubasa 16: Reservoir Chronicle, Clamp (Random House) 14. (-) Jellaby, Kean Soo (Hyperion) 15. (7) Death Note, Vol. 13, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 16. (6) Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon) 17. (10) Death Note, Vol. 4, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 18. (-) Chibi Vampire 7, Kagesaki Yuna (Tokyopop) 19. (19) Garfield Goes Bananas, Jim Davis (Random House) 20. (8) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) ----- 21. (-) Death Note 6, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 22. (16) Death Note 5, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 23. (-) Wild Ones 2, Kiyo Fujiwara (VIZ) 24. (-) Black Cat, Vol. 13, Kentaro Yabuk (VIZ) 25. (35) Naruto Vol. 23, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 26. (-) Fruits Basket 18, Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop) 27. (15) Naruto, Official Fanbook, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 28. (18) Hack Gu 1, Hamazaki Tatsuya (Tokyopop) 29. (-) Bleach 20, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 30. (14) Vampire Knight 2, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 31. (17) Vampire Knight 1, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 32. (20) Naruto 4, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 33. (27) Bleach 1, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 34. (-) Bleach 19, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 35. (-) One Piece 17, Eiichiro Oda (VIZ) 36. (-) Bleach 21, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 37. (-) Death Note 11, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 38. (-) Wild Ones 1, Kiyo Fujiwara (VIZ) 39. (29) Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, Chester Brown (D+Q) 40. (31) Complete Persepolis, Satrapi (Knopf) ----- 41. (28) Bleach 2, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 42. (-) Naruto 22, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 43. (49) Fruits Basket 3, Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop) 44. (48) Naruto Vol. 5, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 45. (-) Authoritative Calvin And Hobbes, Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel) 46. (-) Death Note 9, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 47. (-) Fullmetal Alchemist 1, Hiromu Arakawa (VIZ) 48. (26) Vampire Knight Vol. 3, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 49. (33) Hobbit Graphic Novel, Tolkien et al (Harpercollins) 50. (23) Dark Tower:The Gunslinger Born, Peter David (Marvel) Well, after skipping a week (the list vanished when my computer crashed), we're back for the March Break. The new, heavily-hyped volume of Naruto has been at #1 for two weeks now. Kean Soo has displaced Lynn Johnston as the highest ranking Canadian, at #14. See here for last week's list. I've added last week's ranking in parentheses, with a (-) indicating an absence from the top 50 last week --although books that were not in the top 50 last week were most likely in the top 100, with the possible exception of a few newly published hits. The pattern that emerges from looking at these lists over a period of weeks is that certain books, especially manga series, continuously jostle with each other, sliding up and down the longer list on the strength of a new volume or a spate of purchases for the kiddies. The BookManager List is a wondrous, scary place, where everyone from Todd Hignite to Charles Schulz to Dan DeCarlo to Oor Willie to Avril Lavigne duke it out and where one sale in one tiny bookstore can move a book from #999 to #200. This is also the place where you find books by Canadian creators and where our Canadian Top 25 comes from: Sequential's All-Canadian Top 25 from BookManager 1. (3) Jellaby, Kean Soo (Hyperion) 2. (1) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 3. (2) Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, Chester Brown (D+Q) 4. (4) Essex County 1: Tales From the Farm, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 5. (5) Essex County 2: Ghost Stories, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 6. (6) Dramacon 3, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 7. (10) Skim, Marissa Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood) 8. (15) Therefore Repent! Jim Munroe Salgood Sam (insomniac/IDW) 9. (8) Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) ----- 10. (9) The Plain Janes, Cecil Castellucci et al (DC/Minx) 11. (7) Teaching is a Learning Experience!, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 12. (24) Dramacon 1, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 13. (20) Dramacon 2, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 14. (-) She's Turning into One of Them!, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 15. (14) White Rapids, Pascal Blanchet (D+Q) 16. (17) Scott Pilgrim 3, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) 17. (-) Albert and the Others, Guy Delisle (D+Q) 18. (13) Never Wink at a Worried Woman, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 19. (-) Family Business, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 20. (-) Graphic Witness: Four Wordless Graphic Novels, ed. George A Walker (Firefly) ----- 21. (-) Degrassi Extra Credit 3: Missing You, J Torres/Eric Kim (Pocket) 22. (11) Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, Guy Delisle (D+Q) 23. (12) Last Straw (1985), Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 24. (-) The BackBench Collection, Graham Harrop (Ronsdale) 25. (18) The New Frontier 1 (Paperback), Darwyn Cooke (DC) ----- 26. (19) Northwest Passage: The Annotated Collection, Scott Chantler (Oni) 27. (22) 365 Days, Julie Doucet (D+Q) 28. (21) Just One More Hug, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 29. (25) The Big 5-0, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 30. (-) The Spirit (Hardcover), Darwyn Cooke Jeph Loeb J Bone (DC) I added another 5 this week for variety. Labels: bestsellers, BookManager, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, March 11, 2008 OWL Magazine Comics Issue ![]() It's Owl Magazine's annual Comics Issue, featuring strips and profiles by Jean Chin, Steve Manale, Willow Dawson, Michael Cho, Charlene Chua, Eric Kim, Claude Bordelau, Brian McLachlan, & Scott Chantler. Labels: publishing, zines - Stumble It! - 0 comments Friday, March 07, 2008 Friday News Roundup ![]() Some links about comic books and cartoonists in Canada:
Labels: awards, British Columbia, floppies, graphic novels, Ontario, publishing, Quebec, Toronto - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, March 04, 2008 Histoire de la bande dessinee quebecoise by Mira Felardeau ![]() Histoire de la bande dessinee quebecoise by Mira Falardeau Editions VLB editeurs, 187 pages This new book covers the history of comics in the province of Quebec from its earliest history to 2007. Felardeau has written a lot on this subject and this sounds like, at the very least, a very thorough overview. A translated review is here. Labels: bd, comics history, publishing, Quebec - Stumble It! - 1 comments Monday, March 03, 2008 Palookaville 19 ![]() Labels: floppies, graphic novels, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Friday, February 29, 2008 In Production: Gustav Hayes by Morgan JeskeVancouver web start-up Zeros 2 Heroes asserts that it is publishing its first comic book, a post-apocalyptic adventure called Gustav Hayes written by first-timer Morgan Jeske. From the press release: Zeros 2 Heroes Media is currently producing Gustav Hayes from Winnipeg creator Morgan Jeske. Jeske is working with editors and artists provided by Zeros 2 Heroes Media to bring his comic to life on the page. Labels: British Columbia, Manitoba, pr, publishing, Vancouver, webcomics, Winnipeg - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, February 27, 2008 Weekly Bestsellers in Canada: Feb 27 ![]() The Top 50 Graphic Novels in Canada, courtesy of BookManager. The full list is available here. The list is compiled by BookManager based on sales through over 400 independent bookstores. Sales through comic shops and larger retailers like Chapters-Indigo and Walmart are not reflected in this list. For balance, you might want to try the Amazon.ca and Chapters-Indigo lists. This list has two parts, the top 50 overall and (at the bottom) the top 25 by Canadian creators. Top 50 Comics and Graphic Novels in Canada 1. (1) Bleach, Vol. 22, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 2. (4) Naruto, Vol. 2, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 3. (6) Tsubasa 16: Reservoir Chronicle (Paperback), Clamp (Random House) 4. (2) Naruto Vol. 25, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 5. (5) Naruto Vol. 26, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 6. (3) Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon) 7. (14) Death Note, Vol. 13, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 8. (9) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 9. (8) Naruto Vol. 27, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 10. (-) Death Note, Vol. 4, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 11. (24) Death Note, Volume 3, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 12. (10) Death Note, Vol. 1, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 13. (7) Naruto Vol. 1, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 14. (40) Vampire Knight Vol. 2, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 15. (36) Naruto, Official Fanbook, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 16. (31) Death Note, Vol. 5, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 17. (-) Vampire Knight Vol. 1, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 18. (17) Hack Gu Vol. 1, Hamazaki Tatsuya (Tokyopop) 19. (11) Garfield Goes Bananas, Jim Davis (Random House) 20. (13) Naruto Vol. 4, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) ----- 21. (12) Death Note, Vol. 2, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 22. (-) Naruto Vol. 20, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 23. (45) Dark Tower:The Gunslinger Born, Peter David (Marvel) 24. (-) Naruto Vol. 17, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 25. (16) Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 5, Yuu Watase (VIZ) 26. (19) Vampire Knight Vol. 3, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 27. (23) Bleach, Vol. 1, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 28. (25) Bleach, Vol. 2, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 29. (20) Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, Chester Brown (D+Q) 30. (-) Asterix and the Falling Sky, Uderzo (Orion) 31. (-) Complete Persepolis, Satrapi (Knopf) 32. (18) Naruto Vol. 24, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 33. (-) Hobbit Graphic Novel, Tolkien et al (Harpercollins) 34. (-) Death Note, Another Note (prose novel), Nisioisin (VIZ) 35. (30) Naruto Vol. 23, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 36. (15) Fruits Basket 1, Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop) 37. (26) Bleach, Vol. 3, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 38. (43) Persepolis 2, Marjane Satrapi (Knopf) 39. (27) Naruto, Vol. 3, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 40. (21) Negima! 16: Magister Negi Magi, Ken Akamatsu (Random House) ----- 41. (-) Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat, Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel) 42. (-) Naruto, Vol. 15, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 43. (32) Naruto, Vol. 18, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 44. (-) Shugo Chara! 3, Peach-Pit (Random House) 45. (22) The Far Side 2008 Desk Calendar, Gary Larson (Andrews McMeel) 46. (-) Kitchen Princess 5, Miyuki Kobayashi Natsumi Ando (Random House) 47. (47) Naruto Vol. 16, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 48. (49) Naruto Vol. 5, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 49. (34) Fruits Basket 3, Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop) 50. (-) Naruto Vol. 19, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) Lots more Naruto, again. The volumes tend to jump around quite a bit with very few ranks repeated week to week. The highest ranked Naruto always varies, but Naruto 16 hasbeen at #47 for three weeks now. A reflection of the actual market, or a function of BookManager's tracking software? Who can say? Naruto occupies 17 of the 50 spaces this week. Other titles jump around as well. Over the last 3 weeks, the Dark Tower has ranked 45, 14, and 23. Ditto Louis Riel, which has been 20, 25, and 37. See here for last week's list. I've added last week's ranking in parentheses, with a (-) indicating an absence from the top 50 last week --although books that were not in the top 50 last week were most likely in the top 100, with the possible exception of a few newly published hits. The pattern that emerges from looking at these lists over a period of weeks is that certain books, especially manga series, continuously jostle with each other, sliding up and down the longer list on the strength of a new volume or a spate of purchases for the kiddies. The BookManager List is a wondrous, scary place, where everyone from Todd Hignite to Charles Schulz to Dan DeCarlo to Oor Willie to Avril Lavigne duke it out and where one sale in one tiny bookstore can move a book from #999 to #200. This is also the place where you find books by Canadian creators and where our Canadian Top 25 comes from: Sequential's All-Canadian Top 25 from BookManager 1. (1) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 2. (2) Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, Chester Brown (D+Q) 3. (4) Jellaby, Kean Soo (Hyperion) 4. (3) Essex County 1: Tales From the Farm, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 5. (7) Essex County 2: Ghost Stories, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 6. (10) Dramacon 3, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 7. (12) Teaching is a Learning Experience!, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 8. (19) Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) 9. (5) The Plain Janes, Cecil Castellucci et al (DC/Minx) 10. (-) Skim, Marissa Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood) ----- 11. (6) Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, Guy Delisle (D+Q) 12. (-) Last Straw (1985), Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 13. (-) Never Wink at a Worried Woman, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 14. (9) White Rapids, Pascal Blanchet (D+Q) 15. (8) Therefore Repent! Jim Munroe Salgood Sam (insomniac) 16. (22) The Collected New Frontier (Paperback), Darwyn Cooke (DC) 17. (-) Scott Pilgrim 3, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) 18. (-) The New Frontier 1 (Paperback), Darwyn Cooke (DC) 19. (-) Northwest Passage: The Annotated Collection, Scott Chantler (Oni) 20. (11) Dramacon 2, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) ----- 21. (-) Just One More Hug, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 22. (-) 365 Days, Julie Doucet (D+Q) 23. (-) Portfoolio 22, Guy Badoux et al (Mcarthur) 24. (13) Dramacon 1, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 25. (14) The Big 5-0, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) An impressive debut for Skim and slightly less dominance for Lynn Johnston (6/25 vs 10/25 last week). Labels: bestsellers, BookManager, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Midweek Links ![]() Reviews of recent Canadian graphic novels:
News:
Labels: cartoon reportage, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing, reviews - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, February 26, 2008 The Collected Doug Wright Mock-UpOver at the D+Q blog, a sneak peak at Seth's designs for the first volume of the Collected Doug Wright cartoons: ![]() Labels: blogosphere, cartoonists, comics history, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, February 20, 2008 Weekly Bestsellers in Canada: Feb 20 ![]() The Top 50 Graphic Novels in Canada, courtesy of BookManager. The full list is available here. The list is compiled by BookManager based on sales through over 400 independent bookstores. Sales through comic shops and larger retailers like Chapters-Indigo and Walmart are not reflected in this list. For balance, you might want to try the Amazon.ca and Chapters-Indigo lists. This list has two parts, the top 50 overall and (at the bottom) the top 25 by Canadian creators. Top 50 Comics and Graphic Novels in Canada 1. (4) Bleach, Vol. 22, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 2. (10) Naruto Vol. 25, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 3. (12) Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon) 4. (43) Naruto, Vol. 2, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 5. (6) Naruto Vol. 26, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 6. (1) Tsubasa 16: Reservoir Chronicle (Paperback), Clamp (Random House) 7. (15) Naruto Vol. 1, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 8. (2) Naruto Vol. 27, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 9. (3) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 10. (5) Death Note, Vol. 1, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 11. (7) Garfield Goes Bananas, Jim Davis (Random House) 12. (16) Death Note, Vol. 2, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 13. (24) Naruto Vol. 4, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 14. (-) Death Note, Vol. 13, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 15. (-) Fruits Basket 1, Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop) 16. (9) Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 5, Yuu Watase (VIZ) 17. (-) Hack Gu Vol. 1, Hamazaki Tatsuya (Tokyopop) 18. (11) Naruto Vol. 24, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 19. (32) Vampire Knight Vol. 3, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 20. (37) Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, Chester Brown (D+Q) ----- 21. (22) Negima! 16: Magister Negi Magi, Ken Akamatsu (Random House) 22. (8) The Far Side 2008 Desk Calendar, Gary Larson (Andrews McMeel) 23. (19) Bleach, Vol. 1, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 24. (28) Death Note, Volume 3, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 25. (-) Bleach, Vol. 2, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 26. (-) Bleach, Vol. 3, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 27. (25) Naruto, Vol. 3, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 28. (13) Godchild, Vol. 8, Kaori Yuki (VIZ) 29. (-) Naruto, Vol. 7, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 30. (17) Naruto Vol. 23, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 31. (-) Death Note, Vol. 5, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 32. (-) Naruto, Vol. 18, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 33. (-) Asterix at the Olympic Games, Goscinny & Uderzo (Orion) 34. (-) Fruits Basket 3, Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop) 35. (-) Fruits Basket 2, Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop) 36. (-) Naruto, Official Handbook, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 37. (-) Fall In Love Like a Comic Vol. 2, Chitose Yagami (VIZ) 38. (-) Hana-Kimi, Vol. 22, Hisaya Nakajo (VIZ) 39. (29) Naruto Vol. 22, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 40. (36) Vampire Knight Vol. 2, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) ----- 41. (18) Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 15, Hiromu Arakawa (VIZ) 42. (-) Naruto, Vol. 9, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 43. (33) Persepolis 2, Marjane Satrapi (Knopf) 44. (31) Fruits Basket 18, Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop) 45. (14) Dark Tower:The Gunslinger Born, Peter David (Marvel) 46. (46) The Best of Pokemon Adventures: Yellow, Hidenori Kusaka Mato (VIZ) 47. (47) Naruto Vol. 16, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 48. (-) The Best of Pokemon Adventures: Red, Hidenori Kusaka Mato (VIZ) 49. (-) Naruto Vol. 5, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 50. (48) The Authoritative Calvin And Hobbes, Watterson (Andrews McMeel) Whew! It's quite an effort to keep track of all those Naruto, Death Note, and Bleach volumes. I find it hard to believe that the Bookmanager lists are sophisticated enough to keep track of these differences, especially when I see such wild fluctuations in rank from week to week. That being said, the most salient aspect of this week's list, as with the last several months' lists, is that all volumes of Naruto are popular (there are 16 in the top 50). See here for last week's list. I've added last week's ranking in parentheses, with a (-) indicating an absence from the top 50 last week --although books that were not in the top 50 last week were most likely in the top 100, with the possible exception of a few newly published hits. The pattern that emerges from looking at these lists over a period of weeks is that certain books, especially manga series, continuously jostle with each other, sliding up and down the longer list on the strength of a new volume or a spate of purchases for the kiddies. One other note: if the publishers of Persepolis would concentrate on a single volume, wouldn't they have a higher ranked book? The BookManager List is a wondrous, scary place, where everyone from Todd Hignite to Charles Schulz to Dan DeCarlo to Jerry Siegel to Tove Janssen duke it out and where one sale in one tiny bookstore can move a book from #999 to #200. This is also the place where you find books by Canadian creators and where the Canadian Top 25 comes from: Sequential's All-Canadian Top 25 from BookManager 1. (1) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 2. (2) Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, Chester Brown (D+Q) 3. (5) Essex County 1: Tales From the Farm, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 4. (3) Jellaby, Kean Soo (Hyperion) 5. (10) The Plain Janes, Cecil Castellucci et al (DC/Minx) 6. (4) Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, Guy Delisle (D+Q) 7. (12) Essex County 2: Ghost Stories, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 8. (16) Therefore Repent! Jim Munroe Salgood Sam (insomniac) 9. (6) White Rapids, Pascal Blanchet (D+Q) 10. (8) Dramacon 3, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) ----- 11. (9) Dramacon 2, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 12. (7) Teaching is a Learning Experience!, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 13. (18) Dramacon 1, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 14. (19) The Big 5-0, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 15. (21) The Spirit (Hardcover), Darwyn Cooke Jeph Loeb J Bone (DC) 16. (11) Middle Age Spread, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 17. (25) Keep The Home Fries Burning, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 18. (14) She's Turning into One of Them!, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 19. (-) Scott Pilgrim 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) 20. (15) Graphic Witness: 4 Wordless Graphic Novels, George A Walker (Firefly) ----- 21. (-) Family Business, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 22. (-) The New Frontier (Paperback), Darwyn Cooke (DC) 23. (-) Striking A Cord, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 24. (-) It'S The Thought That Counts, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 25. (-) It's All Downhill From Here, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) That last one was published in 1987. Lynn Johnston collections (10 in all) continue to be the favourite snack food of Canadians (or maybe it's more accurate to say that For Better or For Worse is the Naruto of Canada (except that Naruto is already the Naruto of Canada)). Svetlana Chmakova, Darwyn Cooke, and Jeff Lemire also score with multiple books on the list. Labels: bestsellers, BookManager, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Monday, February 18, 2008 Udon Launches 5 New Titles ![]() Canada's largest manga publisher UDON has announced five new additions to its Korean Manhwa line-up: joining a series of comics originally published by Korea's Haksan Publishing, a new Haksan series - Daring Students' Association. In addition, four new series from Seoul Cultural Publishers: Dear Waltz, Chronicles of the Grim Peddler, Evyione: Ocean Fantasy, and Reading Club. Labels: graphic novels, manga, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, February 13, 2008 Muslim Leader Drops Levant ComplaintThe National Post is reporting that Syed Soharwardy, the man who lodged a complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission against publisher Ezra Levant and his Western Standard magazine for republishing the Danish Muhammad cartoons, has withdrawn his complaint, claiming that he recognizes Levant's actions as a free speech issue and that "Canadian society is mature enough not to absorb the messages that the cartoons sent." For his part, Levant plans to sue Soharwardy for damages. As well, there is a movent underway to remove Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act (the section dealing with hate speech). Related: P.M. Jaworski at the Western Standard's "Shotgun Blog" responds. See Sequential's coverage of this case here. Labels: Alberta, censorship, legal news, political cartooning, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Quebec Comics 2007BDQ 2006 ![]() Comics journalist and scholar Michel Viau has released his annual assessment of comics production in Quebec. Viau's Bilan BDQ 2007 (Google translation) is a summary of all comics production in Quebec, including both English and French books. The major conclusion of the report is that overall comics production, measured in books published, was down when compared to the 2006 numbers, although the trend of the last three years is one of gradual growth in the number of published titles. Viau lists every album published (excluding zines and magazines) and includes a general discussion about genre, target audience, trends, etc. with tons of statistics. My own rough translation of the first part of Viau's excellent overview: In 2007, 22 Quebec publishers have issued 67 Comic books, French and English, representing a fairly marked decline compared to the year 2006, but still an increase compared to the production of the year 2005. ---- see here for last year's report related: cbc reviews some kids' BD Labels: analysis, bd, graphic novels, publishing, Quebec - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, February 12, 2008 Halifax Daily News Closes, Staff Laid OffThe Halifax Daily News has been closed down and replaced by a free daily, according to several sources. All of the paper's staff, including journalists and cartoonists, have been fired. The Daily News was owned by Quebec-based Transcontinental. It's replacement, Metro Halifax, is part of the cross-Canada Metro line and will be produced Metro International S.A. and Torstar Corp. Begun in 1974, The Daily News employed award-winning editorial cartoonist Michael De Adder. According to the Canadian Press article: As journalists left the Halifax Daily News, several said they're worried a free newspaper aimed at commuters will mean a decline in the city's journalism. Labels: Halifax, media monopolies, Nova Scotia, political cartooning, publishing, Quebec - Stumble It! - 0 comments Monday, February 04, 2008 Canadian Book Retail Too Concentrated, Sales Level ![]() "Long Tail" Helps Niche Publishing, Online Sales by Bryan Munn The $1.59 billion Canadian book retail industry is dominated by a small number of large chains and has been experiencing flat sales, according to a new study released by Heritage Canada last week. The report, "The Book Retail Sector in Canada," is based on a study conducted between April and June, 2007. The key findings of the report can be broken down into four categories and include the concentration of book retailing into a small number of companies (most notably Chapters-Indigo, the only national bookstore chain, which owns 44% of the Canadian market); the growth of non-traditional retail outlets (online sales and Costco); the high dollar has resulted in increased book imports ("Canadian retailers can now source some books outside of Canada at lower cost"); book publishing is outstripping sales by a factor of roughly four-to-one. These conclusions were arrived at by some dedicated number crunching, based on accessible data from publishers, Statistics Canada, and sales-tracking services like BookNet, which monitors 70% of the retail book trade. The report, prepared by marketing company Turner-Riggs (Kiley Turner and Craig Riggs), provides detailed pictures of the book market in Canada and of consumer habits, breaking trends down by retail channel and including a look at the book market in Quebec, where two regional chains, Renaud-Bray and Quebecor's Archambault, play the same role that Chapters-Indigo does in the rest of Canada and where the Quebec government is strongly involved in funding both publishers and retailers. In general, the report is a positive one from the point of view of the Canadian book buyer. From one perspective, Canadians are currently enjoying something of a "golden age" in terms of price, availability, and variety of books being published. Prices are more in line with those in the U.S., a variety of distribution methods and retailers vie for the opportunity to sell books, and more books in a greater number of categories are being published each year (16,000 new titles in 2006). But these trends mask some serious underlying problems and structural dangers for both consumers and the book industry. On the one hand, the growth in online outlets and sales (Indigo's online sales increased 9% between 2006 and 2007) means an increase in price and stock transparency for both consumers and retailers, with the general result of lower prices. On the other hand, according to the report, "deep price discounts at retail tend to create pressure for additional trade discounts from publishers, which further constrain the profit margins and profitability of publishing firms." Further, online discounting "exerts pricing pressure on all retail channels; lowers the customers' perceived value of the products, especially bestsellers and new releases; results in narrower margins for suppliers, which in turn restricts their ability to invest in product development or marketing." As well, the dominance of Chapters-Indigo in the marketplace has disturbing implications for book sales and the industry as a whole. Not only does the continued growth of Chapters continue to erode traditional retailers with specialized knowledge and a dedication to promoting Canadian authors and publishers, but the big-box trend towards deep discounting and greater economies of scale have the added effect of squeezing smaller players out of the market, reducing competition and further concentrating market share into one company. While the report does include some refutations of the standard industry wisdom on these issues, the idea that bigger stores ironically mean smaller or more homogeneous selections is a hard one to shake and the report provides an informative graph (scroll down) illustrating the decline in sales of Canadian "literary" titles through chain stores. It is worth quoting from the report at length on the added danger inherent in the continuing price wars, especially between online vendors (Chapters, Amazon.ca and abebooks): "Consumers quickly become conditioned to locate retail sources for discounts, and to identify what type of books discounts usually apply to—and they make their shopping decisions accordingly. There is a concern that this undermines the perceived value of books, making it less likely for consumers to buy a book, particularly a new release, at the established list price. In the extreme sense, this concern describes a process where consumer purchases are more informed by price and less by the unique aspects of the individual book, including its literary or artistic merit. As consumer behaviour becomes more weighted by price, so does the supply chain and in particular the selection of books that are featured, or even available, within a given sales channel. Concentration means more sales for fewer books. This discounting practice also has the effect of concentrating sales at a couple of levels—both by title and by channel. It concentrates sales by title, in that discounted bestsellers prominently featured will sell in large numbers. In contrast, books not featured in this way will be left on the shelf or simply not be available in store." These trends, combined with the traditional hazards of book publishing in Canada (economies of scale, U.S. competition, large numbers of returns), help to paint a considerably less rosy picture of Canadian book retail. However, the report also makes reference to Chris Anderson's conception of The Long Tail, the idea that niche markets are made increasingly accessible and viable by technological growth and changes in supply-chain management. The report indicates that falling costs in these aspects of book retail may result in greater opportunities for a larger number of publishers and authors. ----- see the report's Table of Contents Labels: analysis, comics retailers, comicshoptalk, publishing, Quebec - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, January 31, 2008 Pia Guerra vs Dave SimNot really, but here are some comics-related links concerning both:
Labels: floppies, interviews, interweb, manga, Newfoundland, Ontario, publishing, Toronto - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, January 30, 2008 Wednesday: Dave Sim, Pascal Blanchet, 2007 Direct Market
Labels: bestsellers, comics retailers, floppies, graphic novels, manga, publishing, Quebec, reviews - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, January 29, 2008 The literary picture show on mcgilldaily.com Local illustrator Pascal Blanchet recounts the rise and fall of an idyllic Quebec small town in his newest book, White RapidsBy Alex Weisler Culture Writer Like Persepolis and Maus, White Rapids is a testament to the rising mass appeal of the graphic novel. "Graphic novels have been garnering increasingly mainstream attention and critical respect in recent years, with "slice of life" stories overshadowing the capes and tights familiar to the medium. The genre's literary merits have come to light with a slew of popular new works: Persepolis, recently adapted into a feature film; the Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus; as well as more subversive books like Alan Moore's Lost Girls, an erotic take on Victorian children's fiction." -->> Pascal Blanchet's White Rapids is published by Drawn & Quarterly. It's available for purchase at the publisher's store (211 Bernard O.) for $27.95 or on their web site at drawnandquarterly.com. Labels: bd, new books, preview, publishing, Quebec - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, January 24, 2008 Jim Munroe: How to Publish a Graphic Novel without an AgentWriter Jim Munroe (Therefore Repent!, Everyone in Silico) pens a how-to essay about getting published and submitting work:
Labels: graphic novels, how-to, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, January 23, 2008 Wednesday Newsiness: Oscars, PiQ, thoughtcrimesMontreal cartoonists Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski have been nominated for an Oscar for a short stop-motion film produced by the NFB. Ezra Levant states his case agian, this time for the Globe. Chris Butcher takes a look at the replacement magazine for anime bible Newtype USA and previews the Spring offerings from D+Q. Hubbub on the Bookshelf: Bookninja reports on a libel scare at the Toronto Small Press Fair. Labels: censorship, events, graphic novels, manga, Ontario, publishing, Quebec, Toronto - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, January 22, 2008 Quebecor Files for Bankruptcy ![]() Quebecor World Inc. has filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. and Canada, according to a variety of reports. Often characterized as the second-largest publicly-traded commercial printer in North America (see RR Donnelly and Quad/Graphics), Quebec-based Quebecor is the printer of choice for many comic book and graphic novel publishers. Despite having made arrangements for $400 million in funding last week, the debt-laden printer still faced approval from its creditors, the deadline for which came and went with no comment over the weekend. Then yesterday the company asked for and received creditor protection in Quebec, with a "Chapter 11" filing to follow in the U.S. Quebecor World's debts are being covered but it has a lot of them, according to this Reuters article. The company's stock lost half its value on Monday, plunging 17 cents on the Toronto Stock Exchange. An autopsy is performed here. From Quebecor's own press release:
Labels: Ontario, printing, publishing, Quebec, Toronto - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, January 17, 2008 Quebecor UpdatesAs noted earlier in the week, mega printer Quebecor World has received tentative financing intended to bail out the company after record losses. Since the deal still needs to be approved, Quebecor missed its financing deadline Tuesday and the stock tumbled. Quebecor is the major printer for Marvel and DC, as well as several other comics outfits. Labels: printing, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, January 15, 2008 Quebecor May Get $400 Million BailoutCanadian printer Quebecor has been offered $400 million to help stabilize its losses. The money comes through Quebecor's parent company, Quebecor World and private equity firm Tricap Partners Ltd. Tricap previously had great success bailing out Stelco. The money is unsecured and the plan still has to be approved by the creditor banks. The Toronto Star has the full story. (previous entries about Quebecor) Labels: Ontario, printing, publishing, Toronto - Stumble It! - 0 comments Western Standard Mohammed Cartoon Controversy, part 20Ezra Levant, the publisher of the now-defunct Western Standard magazine, appeared before a closed hearing of the Alberta Human Rights Commission last Friday. The hearing was ostensibly to determine if the complaint against the Standard and Levant (publishing hate literature) warrants a further hearing. Levant published the controversial Danish cartoons depicting Mohammed in 2006. Dirk Deppey does a very nice job of rounding up what actually transpired at Friday's hearings, mostly because Levant has posted video of the day. (The videos are also available on youtube.) The actual hearing involved Levant and his lawyer sitting across a table from Shirlene McGovern, who is identified by Levant as an agent and human rights officer with the Alberta Human Rights Commission, an agency of the provincial government of Alberta. Despite Levant's hyperbole (he describes his interrogator and the entire process as an example of "the banality of evil") and grandstanding (if you can call calmly reading a statement in a tiny meeting room grandstanding), this is an important case. Levant essentially manufactured this debacle by tinging his reporting/reprinting of the cartoons with his usual schtick in order to challenge the hate crime/speech laws. Does a Canadian citizen have the right to complain to the government if someone publishes a cartoon that seems to violate a religious article of their faith? And does the government then have the right to punish the publisher (or even to subject them to any legal or judicial process)? It's hard to see past Levant's U.S.-style conservatism, but the issue of freedom of speech, a freedom not exactly enshrined in Canadian law, is important and an ongoing source of controversy in this country. For the record, the hate laws in Canada carry a punishment of up to 2 years in prison. A conviction may result if it can be proved that the cartoons were abusive enough to incite violence against a person or group or if the cartoons only "promoted hatred.". This is our law. Anyway, center-right columnist weighs in with his pro-censorship rant here. The left-wing rabble.ca site has some more-or-less coherent discussion at their boards. Labels: Alberta, censorship, legal news, political cartooning, publishing - Stumble It! - 1 comments Monday, January 14, 2008 D+Q News ![]() Over at the Drawn and Quarterly blog, lots of interesting news:
Labels: comics in school, comics retailers, events, graphic novels, publishing, Quebec - Stumble It! - 0 comments Thursday, January 10, 2008 Raincoast DownsizingRaincoast Books, the Canadian publisher of Harry Potter and distributor for Fantagraphics and Drawn and Quarterly, has announced it is suspending its publishing activities and will be concentrating on its distribution business. In a move that Bookninja editor George Murray calls a "huge 'fuck you' to Canada," Raincoast will close its Mississauga warehouse and fire 20 employees. It will follow through with plans to publish and promote 15 books in Spring 2008 and then close the publishing division. Raincoast blames the rising Canadian dollar for its decision, citing massive discounting of up to 20% over 2007 as a response to consumer demand for cheaper books, resulting in huge losses. Raincoast's actions were long predicted: many in the industry expected some sort of downsizing following the conclusion of the Harry Potter series --basically Raincoast's reason for existing as a publisher (Raincoast got in on the groundfloor of the Potter gravy train and kept putting out a few other books per year so it could call itself a Canadian publisher, goes the argument). Publishing accounts for approximately 5% of Raincoast's revenue. Raincoast will continue as one of Canada's largest distributors, with a 50-publisher roster including D+Q, Fanta, and Chronicle Books. Raincoast heavily promotes these publishers to booksellers and online through their blog, and distributes approx. 10,000 different titles per year throughout Canada. Raincoast's stated claim of following the dollar is an aspect of one of the biggest stories of 2007, dollar parity with the U.S. and the effect on book prices. The Globe and Mail sums up the numbers game in Canada: prices, particularly prices of Canadian titles, can only come down so far here, especially given the limited economies of scale available in a country of 33 million and the discounting practised by the country's dominant retailer, Indigo Books and Music. As Roy MacSkimming, author of The Perilous Trade: Book Publishing in Canada 1946-2006, observed yesterday: "If Canadian books had to be priced according to real costs in a totally sort of Adam Smith world, with no government support, they'd be way higher than they are already." Remarked Carolyn Quinn, executive director of the Association of Canadian Publishers: "You can't get blood out of a stone. Profit margins in this country are "very small ... and a book costs what it costs," even with subsidies from the federal government's Book Publishing Industry Development Program, among other publicly funded support networks. ---- more: Toronto Star cbc Canadian Press Labels: dollar, Ontario, publishing, Toronto - Stumble It! - 0 comments Friday, December 28, 2007 Are You Sure Dave Sim Did This? ![]() The website for Dave Sim's long-awaited post-Cerebus comic book project is now up. Apparently, the project is an on-going monthly series entitled Glamourpuss, available through comics retailers in April 2008. The website bills the comic as a combination fashion magazine parody, Alex Raymond homage, and superhero adventure. At the same time as the publicity for this project has launched, Sim has also announced he will be discontinuing his weblog, Dave Sim's blogandmail, the main forum for the last few years, outside of the Following Cerebus fanzine and yahoo discussion group, for Sim's political, philosphical, and artistic musing. According to Sim, a computer crash has helped the project along:
Labels: blogosphere, floppies, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Friday, December 21, 2007 Udon NewsThis was announced at the New York Anime con a few weeks back. In addition to a new line of Korean manga (manwha), the folks at Udon, Canada's largest manga publishers, have a few more projects in the pipe. From the Press Release: NEW MANGA! NEW MANHWA! NEW STREET FIGHTER COMICS! Labels: graphic novels, manga, Ontario, pr, publishing, Toronto - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, December 19, 2007 Weekly Bestsellers in Canada: Dec 19 The Top 50 Graphic Novels in Canada, courtesy of BookManager (copyright TBM BookManager). This list is accurate for the week ending December 9. The full list is available here. The list is compiled by BookManager based on sales through over 250 independent bookstores (including at least one comics shop). Sales through the majority of comic shops and larger retailers like Chapters-Indigo and Walmart are not reflected in this list. For balance, you might want to try the Amazon.ca and Chapters-Indigo lists. Top 50 Comics and Graphic Novels in Canada 1. (2) The Far Side 2008 Desk Calendar, Gary Larson (Andrews McMeel) 2. (1) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 3. (3) Naruto Vol. 27, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 4. (6) Garfield Goes Bananas, Jim Davis (Random House) 5. (5) Naruto Vol. 26, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 6. (4) Naruto Vol. 25, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 7. (7) Dark Tower:The Gunslinger Born, Peter David/Robin Furth (Marvel) 8. (-) Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 15, Hiromu Arakawa (VIZ) 9. (13) Teaching Is a Learning Experience!, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 10. (9) Naruto Vol. 24, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 11. (8) Fruits Basket 18, Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop) 12. (24) Herman: Living With Animals, Jim Unger (ECW Press) 13. (10) Naruto Vol. 22, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 14. (11) Naruto Vol. 1, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)( 15. (18) The Essential Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel) 16. (27) The Authoritative Calvin And Hobbes, Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel) 17. (12) Naruto Vol. 23, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 18. (21) Alternative Zits, Jim Borgman Jerry Scott (Andrews McMeel) 19. (22) Dilbert: Cubes and Punishment, Scott Adams (Andrews McMeel) 20. (26) Naruto, Volume 3: Vol. 3, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 21. (-) Calvin and Hobbes 10th Anniversary, Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel) 22. (14) Death Note, Volume 1, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 23. (47) Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon) 24. (-) Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat, Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel) 25. (-) The Calvin & Hobbes Lazy Sunday Book, Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel) 26. (-) Naruto, Vol. 4, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 27. (-) And When She Opened the Closet, All the Clothes Were Polyest: A FoxTrot Collection, Bill Amend (Andrews McMeel) 28. (15) Bumper Book of Bunny Suicides, Andy Riley (Hodder) 29. (30) Spy vs. Spy 2: The Joke and Dagger Files, Shayne & Abrams (Watson-Guptill) 30. (-) Loserpalooza: A Get Fuzzy Treasury, Darby Conley (Andrews McMeel) 31. (19) Naruto Vol. 19, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 32. (-) Tundra Comics Presents: True North, Chad Carpenter (Altitude) 33. (-) Dramacon 3, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 34. (20) Buffy 1: The Long Way Home/Season Eight, Joss Whedon et al (Dark Horse) 35. (16) Naruto Vol. 21, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 36. (-) The Indispensable Calvin And Hobbes, Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel) 37. (-) The Best of Pokemon Adventures: Red:Red, Hidenori Kusaka Mato (VIZ) 38. (29) Naruto, Volume 2: Vol. 2, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 39. (35) Bleach, Vol. 3, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 40. (17) Death Note, Volume 2, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 41. (33) Vampire Knight Vol. 3, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 42. (-) The Complete Persepolis: Now a Major Motion Picture, Marjane Satrapi (Knopf) 43. (-) Stick To Drawing Comics Monkey Brain, Scott Adams (Portfolio) 44. (-) Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History, Art Spiegelman (Knopf) 45. (23) Naruto Vol. 20, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 46. (-) Vampire Knight Vol. 1, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 47. (37) Chibi Vampire 6, Yuna Kagesaki (Tokyopop) 48. (28) Hobbit Graphic Novel, Tolkien et al (Harpercollins) 49. (45) Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, Chester Brown (D+Q) 50. (-) Trivial Simpsons 2008 366 Day Calendar, Matt Groening (Harpercollins) See here for last week's list. I've added last week's ranking in parentheses, with a (-) indicating an absence from the top 50 last week --although books that were not in the top 50 last week were most likely in the top 100, with the possible exception of a few newly published hits. The pattern that emerges from looking at these lists over a period of weeks is that certain books, especially manga series, continuously jostle with each other, sliding up and down the longer list on the strength of a new volume or a spate of purchases for the kiddies (it is Xmas, after all). While it is still largely a Naruto world out there (aided and abetted by other series that benefit from the YTV-effect like Bleach ), the big news continues to be Christmas and a spate of sales for strip collections and classics, including tons of Calvin and Hobbes. Calendars (technically comics collections) are also big and one of the many Far Side calendars finally succeeded this week in knocking Lynn Johnston out of the top spot. The Top 1000 is a wondrous, scary place, where everyone from Todd Hignite to Charles Schulz to the Transformers to Jerry Siegel to Linda Medley duke it out and where one sale in one tiny bookstore can move a book from #999 to #200. This is also the place where you find books by Canadian creators and where the Canadian Top 20 comes from: Sequential's All-Canadian Top 20 from BookManager's Top 1000 1. (1) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 2. (2) Teaching is a Learning Experience!, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 3. (5) Dramacon 3, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 4. (3) Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, Chester Brown (D+Q) 5. (12) White Rapids, Pascal Blanchet (D+Q) 6. (4) She's Turning into One of Them!, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 7. (8) Scott Pilgrim 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) 8. (-) The BackBench Collection, Graham Harrop (Ronsdale Press) 9. (7) Never Wink at a Worried Woman, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 10. (9) Graphic Witness: Four Wordless Graphic Novels, George A Walker (Firefly) 11. (13) Suddenly Silver, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 12. (6) The Plain Janes, Cecil Castellucci et al (DC/Minx) 13. (17) The Big 5-0, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 14. (-) Portfoolio 22 [political cartoons], Guy Badeaux, et al (Mcarthur & Company) 15. (20) Dramacon 1, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 16. (-) Extraction!: a comix reportage, Marc Tessier Fredric Dubois (Cumulus Press) 17. (11) the great hopeful someday, Elisabeth Belliveau (Conundrum Press) 18. (16) Northwest Passage: Annotated Collection, Scott Chantler (Oni) 19. (18) Striking A Cord, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 20. (19) Essex County 2: Ghost Stories, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) The list continues with Therefore Repent!, Family Business: A For Better or For Worse Collection, With This Ring: A For Better or For Worse Collection, Dramacon 2, Remembering Farley, The Spirit Hardcover, Lynn Johnston's Last Straw, It'S The Thought That Counts: A For Better or For Worse Fifteenth Anniversary Collection, Middle Age Spread-Fbfw Collection, and The New Frontier, in that order. Yes, there are that many Lynn Johnston books in the top 1000. Labels: bestsellers, BookManager, comic strips, graphic novels, manga, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Wednesday, December 12, 2007 Weekly Bestsellers in Canada: Dec 12 ![]() The Top 50 Graphic Novels in Canada, courtesy of BookManager (copyright TBM BookManager). This list is accurate for the week ending December 9. The full list is available here. The list is compiled by BookManager based on sales through over 250 independent bookstores (including at least one comics shop). Sales through the majority of comic shops and larger retailers like Chapters-Indigo and Walmart are not reflected in this list. For balance, you might want to try the Amazon.ca and Chapters-Indigo lists. Top 50 Comics and Graphic Novels in Canada 1. (1) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 2. (5) The Far Side 2008 Desk Calendar, Gary Larson (Andrews McMeel) 3. (4) Naruto Vol. 27, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 4. (9) Naruto Vol. 25, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 5. (2) Naruto Vol. 26, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 6. (3) Garfield Goes Bananas, Jim Davis (Random House) 7. (6) Dark Tower:The Gunslinger Born, Peter David/Robin Furth (Marvel) 8. (7) Fruits Basket 18, Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop) 9. (8) Naruto Vol. 24, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 10. (10) Naruto Vol. 22, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 11. (11) Naruto, Volume 1: Vol. 1, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 12. (12) Naruto Vol. 23, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 13. (13) Teaching Is a Learning Experience!, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 14. (29) Death Note, Volume 1, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 15. (14) Bumper Book of Bunny Suicides, Andy Riley (Hodder) 16. (17) Naruto Vol. 21, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 17. (30) Death Note, Volume 2, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 18. (44) The Essential Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel) 19. (15) Naruto Vol. 19, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 20. (37) Buffy 1: The Long Way Home/Season Eight, Joss Whedon et al (Dark Horse) 21. (31) Alternative Zits, Jim Borgman Jerry Scott (Andrews McMeel) 22. (18) Dilbert: Cubes and Punishment, Scott Adams (Andrews McMeel) 23. (16) Naruto Vol. 20, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 24. (20) Herman: Living With Animals, Jim Unger (ECW Press) 25. (19) Naruto Vol. 16, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 26. (-) Naruto, Volume 3: Vol. 3, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 27. (27) The Authoritative Calvin And Hobbes, Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel) 28. (-) Hobbit Graphic Novel, Tolkien et al (Harpercollins) 29. (22) Naruto, Volume 2: Vol. 2, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 30. (26) Spy vs. Spy 2: The Joke and Dagger Files, Shayne & Abrams (Watson-Guptill) 31. (48) Death Note, Volume 3, Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata (VIZ) 32. (23) Naruto Vol. 17, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 33. (21) Vampire Knight Vol. 3, Matsuri Hino (VIZ) 34. (-) Naruto, Vol. 13, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 35. (-) Bleach, Vol. 3, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 36. (-) Naruto, Vol. 7, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 37. (24) Chibi Vampire 6, Yuna Kagesaki (Tokyopop) 38. (-) Attack Of The Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons, Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel) 39. (35) Bleach, Volume 1, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 40. (33) Naruto Vol 15, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ) 41. (-) Watchmen, Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons (DC) 42. (-) I'm Ready for My Movie Contract: Get Fuzzy, Darby Conley (Andrews McMeel) 43. (-) Bleach Vol. 21, Tite Kubo (VIZ) 44. (25) Tsubasa 15: Reservoir Chronicle, Clamp (Random House) 45. (50) Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, Chester Brown (D+Q) 46. (-) Big Beastly Book of Bart Simpson, Matt Groening (Harpercollins) 47. (-) Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon) 48. (46) Scientific Progress Goes Boink, Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel) 49. (-) Garfield Fat Cat 3-Pack, Jim Davis (Random House) 50. (-) Kingdom Hearts II Vol. 1, Shiro Amano/Tetsuya Nomura (Tokyopop) See here for last week's list. I've added last week's ranking in parentheses, with a (-) indicating an absence from the top 50 last week --although books that were not in the top 50 last week were most likely in the top 100, with the possible exception of a few newly published hits. The pattern that emerges from looking at these lists over a period of weeks is that certain books, especially manga series, continuously jostle with each other, sliding up and down the longer list on the strength of a new volume or a spate of purchases for the kiddies (it is Xmas, after all). While it is still largely a Naruto world out there (aided and abetted by other series that benefit from the YTV-effect like Bleach ), the big news is Christmas and a spate of sales for strip collections and classics. The crossover U.S. graphic novels on the list (Dark Tower and Buffy) are joined this week by Persepolis and Watchmen, while Louis Riel continues its pre-Christmas surge. The Top 1000 is a wondrous, scary place, where everyone from Todd Hignite to Charles Schulz to the Transformers to Jerry Siegel to Andy Runton duke it out and where one sale in one tiny bookstore can move a book from #999 to #200. This is also the place where you find books by Canadian creators and where the Canadian Top 20 comes from: Sequential's All-Canadian Top 20 from BookManager's Top 1000 1. (1) Senior's Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 2. (2) Teaching is a Learning Experience!, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 3. (3) Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, Chester Brown (D+Q) 4. (4) She's Turning into One of Them!, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 5. (-) Dramacon 3, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 6. (7) The Plain Janes, Cecil Castellucci et al (DC/Minx) 7. (5) Never Wink at a Worried Woman, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 8. (-) Scott Pilgrim 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) 9. (20) Graphic Witness: Four Wordless Graphic Novels, George A Walker (Firefly) 10. (6) The Spirit (Hardcover), Darwyn Cooke/Jeph Loeb/J Bone (DC) 11. (-) the great hopeful someday, Elisabeth Belliveau (Conundrum Press) 12. (11) White Rapids, Pascal Blanchet (D+Q) 13. (8) Suddenly Silver, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 14. (14) Middle Age Spread, Lynn Johnston/Velda Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 15. (-) DC The New Frontier (Paperback), Darwyn Cooke (DC) 16. (16) Northwest Passage: Annotated Collection, Scott Chantler (Oni) 17. (15) The Big 5-0, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 18. (-) Striking A Cord, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 19. (17) Essex County 2: Ghost Stories, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf) 20. (9) Dramacon 1, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) The top 1000 contains more than the usual amount of higher ranking Can-con than usual this week. A revised "Top 24" would include: 21. (10) Dramacon 2, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop) 22. (-) Therefore Repent! Jim Munroe/Salgood Sam (Insomniac) 23. (12) Remembering Farley, Lynn Johnston/Velda Johnston (Andrews McMeel) 24. (13) What Next, Aislin (MacArthur & Co.) As well, the top 20 features some very high debuts for Svetlana Chmakova, Bryan Lee O'Malley, and Elisabeth Belliveau. Various titles that contain work by Canuck artists (Nextwave and Y: The Last Man, for instance) are quite highly ranked in the top 1000, as are the Flight anthologies and various books published by D+Q featuring foreign creators (Moomin, Rutu Modan, Adrian Tomine, etc). I almost included the Marvel trade paperback Omega Flight: Alpha to Omega at the #11 spot, but since the only Canadian thing about it is the subject matter... (ditto for Avril Lavigne's Make 5 Wishes series). Labels: bestsellers, BookManager, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing - Stumble It! - 0 comments Tuesday, December 11, 2007 Tonite: Julie Morstad MILK TEETH Book Launch ![]() Lucky's Comics in Vancouver is hosting the launch of MILK TEETH, by Julie Morstad, part of the Drawn and Quarterly Petits Livres series of small art books. Tuesday, December 11th, 6:00 PM Book launch and etchings on display Lucky's Comics 3972 Main Street Vancouver, BC Milk Teeth is a collection of illustrations by Vancouver artist Julie Morstad. Morstad spins fairy tales infused with dreamlike innocence and a touch of the macabre. Milk Teeth's universe, populated by animals, flowers, peculiar objects and disembodied heads, has a sensibility reminiscent of Marcel Dzama's surreal drawings, Jeffrey Eugenides' haunting novel The Virgin Suicides, and Peter Weir's classic film Picnic at Hanging Rock. See a preview at the D+Q site here. Morstad is a 2004 graduate of the Alberta College of Art and Design. She has done illustrations for The Globe & Mail, Warner Brothers Records, Bust, and The Walrus. Her work has been shown in galleries, featured on the cover of Neko Case's 2006 album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, and developed into a line of patterned wallpapers with a distinctive nostalgic quality. Morstad lives and works in Vancouver and divides her time between drawing, illustration, animation and design. Lucky's Comics: 604.875.9858 D+Q: 514.279.0691 Labels: Alberta, book launches, British Columbia, events, exhibits, graphic novels, publishing, Vancouver - Stumble It! - 0 comments Saturday, December 08, 2007 Tonite: Therefore Repent Book Launch Therefore Repent! launches this Saturday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Drawn & Quarterly Bookstore (211 Bernard W.) in Montreal Meet the artist and the writer! Buy books! Hang out! "The art is extraordinarily fluid and the storyline ingenious and sharply intelligent." — Jeff VanderMeer, Realms of Fantasy Book details Labels: book launches, graphic novels, Montreal, publishing, Quebec, Sequential - Stumble It! - 0 comments Friday, December 07, 2007 Tonite: Julie Doucet Book Launch! ![]() From the Drawn and Quarterly press release:
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