Best of
Comics-Manga

2009

Attack on Titan, Vol. 1


Hajime Isayama - 2009
    Little is known about where they came from or why they are bent on consuming humankind, but the sudden appearance of an enormous Titan is about to change everything...

ONE PIECE 巻零〝STRONG WORLD〟


Eiichiro Oda - 2009
    009年12月12日発行。映画『ONE PIECE FILM STRONG WORLD』特典。

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 1


Kazue Kato - 2009
    One day a fateful argument with Father Fujimoto forces Rin to face a terrible truth – the blood of the demon lord Satan runs in Rin's veins! Rin swears to defeat Satan, but doing that means entering the mysterious True Cross Academy and becoming an exorcist himself. Can Rin fight demons and keep his infernal bloodline a secret? It won't be easy, especially when drawing his father's sword releases the demonic power within him!Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for audiences T+.

One Piece. Omnibus, Vol. 1


Eiichiro Oda - 2009
    Luffy dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates. But his life changed when he accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, an enchanted Devil Fruit that gave him the ability to stretch like rubber. Its only drawback? He'll never be able to swim again--a serious handicap for an aspiring sea dog! Years later, Luffy sets off on his quest to find the "One Piece," said to be the greatest treasure in the world...The treasure trove of high seas adventures just got bigger with this collection of the first three volumes of One Piece!R to L (Japanese Style)

The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal


E.K. Weaver - 2009
    and wakes up the next morning to find TJ, a lanky, dreadlocked vagrant, frying eggs and singing Paul Simon in his kitchen.TJ claims that the two have made a drunken pact to drive all the way from Berkeley to Providence. As it happens, Amal promised his sister he'd be there for her graduation from Brown University. And TJ, well... TJ has his own reasons.The agreement is simple: Amal does the driving; TJ pays the way - but a 3500 mile journey leaves plenty of time for things to get complicated.----------On the official website, click the "First Page" road sign (graphic at the top of the page) to start reading from the beginning. Or just click here to go directly to it.

Inuyasha, Volume 01


Rumiko Takahashi - 2009
    Never the type to believe in myths and legends, her world view dramatically changes when, one day, she's pulled out of herown time and into another! There, in Japan's ancient past, Kagome discovers more t han a few of those dusty old legends are true, and that her destiny is linked to one legendary creature in particular--the dog like half-demon called Inuyasha! That same trick of fate also ties them both to the Shikon Jewel, or " Jewel of Four Souls". But demons beware... the smallest shard of the Shikon Jewel can give the user unimaginable power.

Alice in the Country of Hearts, Vol. 2


QuinRose - 2009
    Alice, ever the plucky tomboy, sets off to explore and get the lay of this strange land, intent on finding her rude kidnapper and giving him a piece of her mind (and her fist). But little does she know that she's wandered right into the middle of a dangerous power struggle involving just about all of Wonderland's attractive, weapon-happy denizens. And the only way for Alice to return home is to get acquainted with the lot of them?! How in the world will she manage that and still manage to stay alive?!

Shattered Peace


Erin Hunter - 2009
    He knows that leaving the warrior clans was the right choice, and he appreciates his quiet days and peaceful nights with his best friend, Barley. But when five rogue cats from Twolegplace come to the barn seeking shelter, Ravenpaw's new life is threatened. He and Barley must try to find a way to overpower the rogues—before they lose their home for good.

Barakamon, Vol. 1


Satsuki Yoshino - 2009
    "Sensei," as he comes to be known, is a city boy through and through, and has never experienced rural life until now. And by the looks of it, he has much to learn! Luckily(?), he has a willing teacher in Naru, the energetic expert islander, to help show him the ropes. But can Sensei keep up with the plucky first-grader, or will he get schooled?! Here unfolds a heartfelt island comedy about a gruff on the outside, soft on the inside urbanite teacher and his new, unfailingly kind island neighbors!

DRRR!! Durarara!! 1


Akiyo Satorigi - 2009
    A naive stalker girl. The strongest man in Ikebukuro. A shut-in doctor with questionable credentials. A hedonistic informant...and the "headless rider" astride a pitch-black motorcycle!? As their paths cross, this eccentric cast weaves a twisted, cracked love story...

Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus: Volume One


Grant Morrison - 2009
    This collection includes time-spanning epic graphic novels featuring the cataclysmic events of FINAL CRISIS and the introduction of Batman's son, Damian Wayne! These blockbuster stories featured a deconstruction of super hero comics like never before, with challenging, thought-provoking takes on the modern, four-color icons.Collects BATMAN #655-658 and #663-683, stories from 52 #30 and#47 and DC Universe #0.

Cat Diary: Yon & Muu; 猫日記よん&むー; Neko Nikki Yon to Mū


Junji Ito - 2009
    J-kun, a dog person, was coerced into adopting two cats by his fiancee A-ko: Muu, a Norwegian cat, and Yon who has an accursed face. Much to the chagrin of J, the cats do not immediately love him. The difference between fear and comedy is paper thin. Here's a cat comedy from a horror manga author.

Dogs: Bullets & Carnage, Vol. 4


Shirow Miwa - 2009
    But the aims of Bishop, who wears his own “collar,” are unclear: why is he revealing these things now, and why did he save Heine in the first place? Meanwhile, Badou takes on another freelance job from Granny Liza to gather information—and soon discovers it was the information that his brother died pursuing…

Shojo Fashion Manga Art School: How to Draw Cool Looks and Characters


Irene Flores - 2009
    Whether your story calls for a flashy drama queen or a mousy bookworm, this guide contains everything you need to know to create fabulous shojo manga characters with personality.The Figure. Follow these simple basics to draw the guys and girls of various body types, in any pose.The Face. Learn how to draw an endless variety of features. Get the feeling across with facial expressions from a subtle quirk of the mouth to all-out crocodile tears. Then add the perfect hairstyle--the icing on the cake.The Look. -Shop- from an illustrated gallery of clothing and accessories for every season and occasion, from formal dresses to bunny slippers, with demonstrations and tips on designing your own original fashions.The Setting. Portray your character's world with demonstrations on how to create classic hangouts like classrooms, coffee shops and bedrooms.Complete with 14 start-to-finish demonstrations for drawing a range of character types, from the girl next door to the punk guy, from single characters to couples and groups, this book will help you bring a world of unique and memorable characters to life...and have lots of fun doing it!

The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga


Helen McCarthy - 2009
    Tezuka was Walt Disney, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Tim Burton, and Carl Sagan all rolled into one incredibly prolific creator, changing the face of Japanese culture forever. Best known for Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion, Tezuka was instrumental in developing Japanese animation and modern manga comics. The Art of Osamu Tezuka is the first authorized biography celebrating his work and life and featuring over 300 images—many of which have never been seen outside of Japan. With text by respected manga expert Helen McCarthy, The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga pays tribute to the work of an artist, writer, animator, doctor, entrepreneur, and traveler whose curious mind spawned dozens of animated films, and over 170,000 pages of comics art in one astonishingly creative lifetime.The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga also includes an exclusive 45-minute DVD documentary covering Tezuka’s prolific career, from his early manga characters to his later animation work. The package is out of the ordinary as well. It is a hardcover with an onlay and a vinyl jacket.

A Child in Palestine


Naji al-Ali - 2009
    Early the following decade he left for Kuwait, embarking on a thirty-year career that would see his cartoons published daily in newspapers from Cairo to Beirut, London to Paris.Resolutely independent and unaligned to any political party, Naji al-Ali strove to speak to and for the ordinary Arab people; the pointed satire of his stark, symbolic cartoons brought him widespread renown. Through his most celebrated creation, the witness-child Handala, al-Ali criticized the brutality of Israeli occupation, the venality and corruption of the regimes in the region, and the suffering of the Palestinian people, earning him many powerful enemies and the soubriquet the Palestinian Malcolm X. For the first time in book form, A Child in Palestine presents the work of one of the Arab world s greatest cartoonists, revered throughout the region for his outspokenness, honesty and humanity. That was when the character Handala was born. The young, barefoot Handala was a symbol of my childhood. He was the age I was when I had left Palestine and, in a sense, I am still that age today and I feel that I can recall and sense every bush, every stone, every house and every tree I passed when I was a child in Palestine. The character of Handala was a sort of icon that protected my soul from falling whenever I felt sluggish or I was ignoring my duty. That child was like a splash of fresh water on my forehead, bringing me to attention and keeping me from error and loss. He was the arrow of the compass, pointing steadily towards Palestine. Not just Palestine in geographical terms, but Palestine in its humanitarian sense the symbol of a just cause, whether it is located in Egypt, Vietnam or South Africa. Naji al-Ali, in conversation with Radwa Ashour

Circle Series Visual Edition: Black, Red, and White Graphic Novels


Ted Dekker - 2009
    Two worlds. One Story. Now in a stunning, four color visual edition. Nothing is as it seems when dreams and reality collide. Black - A virulent evil has been unleashed upon the people of the earth. The only man who can stop it is Thomas Hunter, an unlikely hero whose life is stretched between two worlds. Red - In one world, Thomas Hunter is a battle-scarred general commanding an army of primitive warriors. In the other, he's racing to outwit sadistic terrorists intent on creating global chaos.

The Ultimates Omnibus


Mark Millar - 2009
    But just as they begin to get comfortable in their roles as international celebrities and America's champions, things get hard Can the Ultimates survive the Hulk's execution, Thor's imprisonment - and the advent of the Ultimate Defenders? The world's greatest heroes are in for the battle of the century - and not all of them will be walking away Collects Ultimates #1-13, Ultimates 2 #1-13, Ultimates Annual #1, and Ultimates 2 #1 Variant Sketch Edition.

The Big Adventures of Majoko Volume 1


Tomomi Mizuna - 2009
    As soon as she opens it, out pops Majoko, a rambunctious wizard girl from the Land of Magic! Together, these two girls explore a fantastic world full of magic spells, wondrous creatures, and endless surprises. Every day is a big adventure when Majoko is around!

Dead Moon


Luis Royo - 2009
    In one of them, rules a suggestive and refined world of women, inthe other one, a world of men whose passion is war.

Happy Happy Clover, Vol. 1


Sayuri Tatsuyama - 2009
    R to L (Japanese Style)Clover the Bunny and her fluffy friends are always getting into mischief in mysterious Mikazuki Forest!More Fun Than Vegetables!Clover uncovers the secret of a haunted spring, meets a big bad fox, fights mean humans who want to cut down all the trees in her forest home--and gets lost in the dark! Scary!

Gears of War: Volume One


Joshua Ortega - 2009
    The best-selling video game franchise arrives in comic books stores with a blast - one month before the debut of the new Xbox 360 game! This story bridges the end of the first Gears of War game and the start of the second one, following the brutal adventures of Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad in the battle against the Locust! What happened after the Lightmass Bombing and how did the Locust react to this devastating weapon? Find out in this new series by Gears of War 2 game-writer Joshua Ortega (Death Dealer) and artist Liam Sharp (LORD HAVOK AND THE EXTREMISTS).

Gargoyles: Bad Guys, Volume 1


Greg Weisman - 2009
    Take this quintet of felons and force them to work on the side of the angels! It may be hard to believe, but these Bad Guys are the best hope we've got! From Gargoyles series creator Greg Weisman and fan-favorite artist Karine Charlebois comes this spin-off graphic novel.

The Art Of Top Cow


Stjepan ŠejićDale Keown - 2009
    Today's top artist lists are filled with alumi of the famous Top Cow "Pit". The Art of Top Cow is a massive collection that combines The Art of The Darkness, The Art of Witchblade, and The Art of Marc Silvestri into a single tome, complete with select additional pieces rendered by some of the best artists to have graced the pages and covers of Top Cow titles.

War of Kings Omnibus


Ed Brubaker - 2009
    A cosmic epic connecting the Inhumans, X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy! The Inhumans leave Earth and take their destined place as rulers of the Kree Empire! Meanwhile, Cyclops and Havok's power-mad brother Vulcan claims the Shi'ar Empire's throne, bringing the galaxy to the brink of destruction! With the Nova Corps, Starjammers and Guardians caught in the middle, two empires make cosmic war...and the fallout might tear the galaxy in half!Collecting: Uncanny X-Men 475-486, X-Men: Emperor Vulcan 1-5, Secret Invasion: War of Kings, X-Men: Kingbreaker 1-4, War of Kings: Darkhawk 1-2, War of Kings: Warriors 1-2, War of Kings 1-6, War of Kings: Ascension 1-4, War of Kings: Savage World of Sakaar, <>Nova 23-28, Guardians of the Galaxy 13-19, War of Kings: Who Will Rule?, Marvel Spotlight: War of Kings and material from X-Men: Divided We Stand #2

Batman: Emperor of the Airwaves


Donald Lemke - 2009
    Meanwhile, a crime wave hits the city. Batman soon learns that these events are related. After the Dark Knight stops a crime, the Penguin's TV news channel edit the security tapes and police reports to make Batman look like a criminal. People begin to fear the Dark Knight. If he can't prove his innocence, the hero will end up in prison, and the Penguin will fly free.

Batman: Fun House of Evil


Donald Lemke - 2009
    But the building has been remodeled into the JOKER'S fun house. BATMAN must outwit clown robots and escape deadly amusement rides to make sure that the JOKER does not have the last laugh!

The Fantastic Worlds Of Frazetta Volume 2


Jay Fotos - 2009
    Take a trip to the past in Neanderthal, a tale of prehistoric life fraught with danger at every turn, while Freedom is a classic western set in Deadwood three months after the murder of Wild Bill Hickock! Return to the Land of Iparsia in Sorcerer, an essential story of the Frazettaverse set 900 years before the epic Shadows of Mirahan storyline from Frank Frazetta's Death Dealer. Also featuring new, never-before-seen bonus material gallery, this second volume of The Fantastic Worlds of Frank Frazetta is a must-have for any fan of epic fantasy, high adventure, and horror!

Tales of the Black Freighter


Alan Moore - 2009
    And on this disc. From the director of Watchmen and 300 come two tales from the celebrated graphic novel that do not appear in the extraordinary Watchmen theatrical feature. Tales of the Black Freighter (featuring the voice of 300's Gerard Butler) brings to strikingly animated life the novels richly layered story-within-a-story, a daring pirate saga whose turbulent events may mirror those in the Watchmen's world. Stars from the Watchmen movie team in the amazing live-action/CGI Under the Hood, based on Nite Owl's powerful first-hand account of how the hooded adventurers came into existence. Two fan-essential stories. One place to watch the excitement. Watching the Watchmen begins here.

Manga Mania™: Girl Power!: Drawing Fabulous Females for Japanese Comics


Christopher Hart - 2009
    His huge cast of characters includes angels of light and darkness, a sushi chef, samurai, shopaholics, a pirate, a judge, athletes, and a veterinarian tending to a sick cute monster. And, since manga girls rarely sit still, aspiring illustrators will learn how to draw them in action, in a variety of situations.

CLAMP in America


Shaenon K. Garrity - 2009
    Now, in this beautifully illustrated volume, the talented and reclusive group emerges into the light to reveal CLAMP’s origins, inspirations, and secrets!This book is a treasure for CLAMP fans and art lovers everywhere. With more than three hundred stunning images of CLAMP’s most beautiful illustrations, some never before seen outside Japan, CLAMP in America also features • exclusive interviews with all four CLAMP members• a complete history of this innovative group• reviews and analyses of CLAMP’s best-known works• thoughts from successful artists who were inspired by CLAMP• CLAMP’s colorful journey to America—and candid remarks from the professionals who made it happen• CLAMP’s own reflections on their experiences in America  Enjoy new perspectives on the stories you already love, reacquaint yourself with favorites, and discover some CLAMP gems you may have missed. This is an authoritative, all-access pass to some of the greatest graphic storytelling on the planet—a visual feast for fans far and wide.

Blazing Combat


Archie GoodwinGene Colan - 2009
    Written and edited by Archie Goodwin, with artwork by such industry notables as Gene Colan, Frank Frazetta, John Severin, Alex Toth, Al Williamson, Russ Heath, Reed Crandall, and Wally Wood, it featured war stories in both contemporary and period settings, unified by a humanistic theme of the personal costs of war, rather than by traditional men's adventure motifs. As one letter-writer in the third issue put it, “Do you seriously expect to make money with a war magazine that publishes nothing but anti-war stories?”While most stories took place during World War II, they ranged in settings from the 18th century to the present-day. Some dealt with historical figures, such as Revolutionary War general Benedict Arnold and his pre-traitorous victory at the battle of Saratoga, while “Foragers” focused on a fictional soldier in General William T. Sherman’s devastating March to the Sea during the American Civil War. “Holding Action,” set on the last day of the Korean War, ended with a gung-ho young soldier, unwilling to quit, being escorted over his protests into a medical vehicle.What proved to be the most controversial were stories set during the then-contemporary Vietnam War, particularly the classic short “Landscape,” which follows the thoughts of a Vietnamese peasant rice-farmer devoid of ideology, who nonetheless pays the ultimate price simply for living where he does. While writer Goodwin evenhandedly portrays the North Vietnamese Army’s brutal summary executions of village officials, and a well-meaning U.S. Army fatally bludgeoning its way through the village in a counterattack, the story caused key distributors to stop selling the title.Fantagraphics is proud to present a deluxe, hardcover edition, magnificently printed and bound, of these stories, superbly reproduced from the original printer's film negatives.Nominated for a 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award: (Best Archival Collection/Project: Comic Books).

Manga: An Anthology of Global and Cultural Perspectives


Toni Johnson-WoodsCraig Norris - 2009
    Today manga has become a global phenomenon, attracting audiences in North America, Europe, Africa, and Australia. The style has become so popular, in fact, that in the US and UK publishers are appropriating the manga style in a variety of print material, resulting in the birth of harlequin mangas which combine popular romance fiction titles with manga aesthetics. Comic publishers such as Dark Horse and DC Comics are translating Japanese "classics", like Akira, into English. And of course it wasn't long before Shakespeare received the manga treatment. So what is manga? Manga roughly translates as "whimsical pictures" and its long history can be traced all the way back to picture books of eighteenth century Japan. Today, it comes in two basic forms: anthology magazines (such as Shukan Shonen Jampu) that contain several serials and manga ‘books' (tankobon) that collect long-running serials from the anthologies and reprint them in one volume. The anthologies contain several serials, generally appear weekly and are so thick, up to 800 pages, that they are colloquially known as phone books. Sold at newspaper stands and in convenience stores, they often attract crowds of people who gather to read their favorite magazine. Containing sections addressing the manga industry on an international scale, the different genres, formats and artists, as well the fans themselves, Manga: An Anthology of Global and Cultural Perspectives is an important collection of essays by an international cast of scholars, experts, and fans, and provides a one-stop resource for all those who want to learn more about manga, as well as for anybody teaching a course on the subject.

The Clone Wars FCBD: The Gauntlet of Death


Henry Gilroy - 2009
    Note: this summary refers to the entire comic, which includes non-Star Wars material as well.A special issue featuring the greatest heroes of The Clone Wars, plus Emily the Strange, Usagi Yojimbo, and other all-ages favorites! Packed with 28 pages of story, the book bears two covers, one with the Star Wars character, the other celebrating Dark Horse's best all-ages characters!Complete list of content: Usagi Yojimbo (6 pages), Emily the Strange (4 pages), Beanworld (2 pages), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Yearning (6 pages), Star Wars (8 pages)

Phonogram: The Singles Club #3


Kieron Gillen - 2009
    In the latest of the seven-stories-in-one-night of the Singles Club, she's having to deal with both. Plus, two complete back-up stories featuring the art of LEIGH GALLAGHER (2000AD, The Witching) and LEE O'CONNOR.

Tenohira Size


Kirin Tendou - 2009
    They don't have much money. They don't even have a shower. Tenohira Size presents eight stories of a mother and her three children's day-to-day lives in the aftermath of divorce.