Must-have Manga

BEST SELLERGantz series (Dark Horse) Released this summer in English for the first time, Gantz, written and drawn by Hiroya Oku, quickly became one of the most requested manga ever published by Dark Horse. The story focuses on a posse of undead people who complete a series of complicated missions.

CLASSICLone Wolf and Cub series(Dark Horse) Written by Kazuo Koike with art by Goseki Kojima, Lone Wolf and Cub is an archetypal samurai-vengeance story set in feudal Japan that has influenced numerous Western comics creators.

ICONOCLASTAkira series (Dark Horse/Kodansha) Katsuhiro Otomo's manga is a postapocalyptic cyberpunk saga whose intricate art raised the manga bar forever more when it debuted in 1982.

RANDOMThe Manga Cookbook (Japanime) In this volume, conceived by the "culinary institute" of online manga instructor Manga University, manga characters are used by illustrator Chihiro Hattori to demonstrate Japanese recipes.

YURI ESSENTIALSYuri Monogatari (ALC) Play around without making a commitment with Yuri Monogatari, an annual anthology of excerpted yuri manga from around the world.

Love My Life (Shodensha) The manga that spawned a popular Japanese feature film, it follows lesbian college student Ichiko as she learns about her father's true sexual orientation -- and discovers her deceased mother was gay.

BEST-SELLING YAOIYellow, Volume 1 (Digital Manga Publishing) Straight macho man Taki forms a crime-fighting duo with gay Goh. But can Goh keep his feelings under control?

Bond(z) (801 Media) This compilation of yaoi love stories has obsession and secrecy as common themes. The graphic illustrations give Bond(z) an 18+ rating.