Every year, The Swedish Comics Association, or more accurately the secretary of the Urhunden Jury - Ola Hammarlund, compiles a summing up of the number of album, graphic novels etc. which have been published in Swedish. This makes for an interesting reading, as the statistics over the years give a clear indication of trends in the publishing of comics in Sweden.
In 2009, 306 graphic novels, albums and manga books were published in Swedish. This was a marked drop from the previous year, which ended on 332 - an all time high. The drop was mostly due to the manga market virtually collapsing in Sweden.
Two more conclusions can be drawn from the list. One is the marked upsurge in publisher, with 48 different publishers 2009, compared with 24 for 2008. Granted some of these are self-publishers, with "books" which are more or less mini-comics however laboriously produced, but it is still an indication of the renewed interest in comics, from many different publishers.
Another conclusion can be drawn from the consistent rising number of original Swedish graphic novels. 101 published during 2009, as compared to 32 in 2001. That's an impressive increase in the number of Swedish comics published, and a clear indication of what's going on. Comics produced in Sweden is gaining market shares, as more and more Swedish comics creators and publishers are entering the market. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, we are right now entering into a golden age of Swedish comics.
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