Having been around comics, or rather been surrounded by them for quite a number of years, you’ll probably expect that I’d be immune to the deluge of comic books flooding the book stores. But I haven’t. I’m still so much in love with the comic book, despite the lousy story arcs, horrible artwork, run of the mill storytelling and publishing houses cashing in on their cows. That’s because there are still books out there worth waiting for.

Take David Mazzuchelli for example. After illustrating Batman Year One, arguably one of the best superhero origin books ever written, he soon dropped out of illustrating traditional superhero comics. But his return in 2009, with the Eisner and Harvey awarded Asterios Polyp, a dazzling engrossing and profound graphic tale of self discovery is truly worth the wait. Not only is it a dark-comedic journey of the title character’s life, Mazzuchelli explores comic storytelling technique with a performance worthy of a standing ovation. Another great comic that truly embodies the great comic storytelling is the slice-of-life manga, Yotsuba&! (read as Yotsubato). The daily going-ons of the five-year-old Yotsuba shows us the world from the eyes of a babe, often innocent, misunderstood and charmingly funny. It puts a smile on my face every time I read it.

Adventure, history and great action in one.

If you’re into fairy tale retellings, Linda Medley’s Castle Waiting is the comic to get. The plot centres on a castle, and its charming inhabitants, led by Rackham, a stork who is a dandy as well. Anthropomorphism is a popular device in comics, Usagi Yojimbo being my favourite. Set in 16th and 17th century Japan, Miyamoto Usagi is a wandering samurai rabbit, who gets into various adventures and fights (of course!). Another great read with similar elements is Mouse Guard by David Petersen. Set in a parallel medieval era, it revolves around the adventures of the Mouse Guard, a brotherhood of sentient mice.

Harry Potter or Christopher Milne?

Fantastical to say the least, would describe The Unwritten, the brainchild of Mike Carey (with art by Peter Gross). Inspired by Christopher Milne’s autobiography, in which he talks about how he felt robbed of his life because his father had used him in his Winnie-The-Pooh stories. In the comic, Tom Taylor is in the same situation with Milne, having been the fictional hero of his father’s books. The Tommy Taylor books are supposedly written in the same vein as those of a certain young hero with a scar on the forehead, but Carey claims otherwise. Still, I enjoy the literary references that keep popping up.

Grotesque to the point you want to turn away, but can't as it's such a good read!

Although I avoid horror in any medium, The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (黒鷺死体宅配便) is too superb a read to forgo. A brilliant yet grotesque amalgamation of horror and humour, it follows the escapades of five fresh graduates who form a company that specializes in delivering corpses. Often enough, their clients are the corpses themselves!

Not to neglect ‘traditional’ SF, especially for those who grew up watching Astro Boy - loosely based on Tezuka’s manga is Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto (プルートウ). It offers a revisit to this world, from a darker, more realistic point of view, as the lead character investigates a series of murders in which the victims are both humans and robots. Asimov fans may want to give it a try. 

Know how comics work?

Read about their origins from the superheroes' own point of view.