Canadian publishers get on the graphic novel field

Picked up off of my Publisher's Weekly Childrens Bookshelf newsletter:

Patsy Aldana at Groundwood Books has purchased Skim, a YA graphic novel by Toronto playwright Mariko Tamaki, with artwork by her cousin, New York-based illustrator Jillian Tamaki. Set in 1992 suburban Toronto and written in the form of a diary, Skim was originally a 24-page, one-shot comic collaboration riffing on goth-girl angst. The Tamakis will expand it to a 96-page graphic novel that's pegged as "a dark romance about rebellion, friendship, and bittersweet first love for Goth private school girls." While Groundwood has already published graphic fiction of sorts, such as Nicolas Debon's award-winning Four Pictures by Emily Carr, this is the publisher's first foray into full-length graphic fiction for young adults. The book is scheduled for spring 2008.

Considering what I've heard about BONE's success in Canada, as well as the widespread critical acclaim and of Drawn and Quarterly's LOUIS RIEL, it's no surprise to see smaller Canadian publishers making the effort to acquire graphic novels to their lists. Are Canadians just more open to the format? Who knows... Penguin Canada has also already made the jump into the adult graphic novel field with their book DRAGONSLIPPERS, but this is the first foray into the YA market.

I'm just wondering if 96 pages is meaty enough to really stand out on a shelf.