These are some of the comics I have recently enjoyed.
Worst by Hiroshi Takahashi (vol 1-3) A weird fantasy world of male posturing, inspiration for the even weirder satire Cromartie High School. In an all-boys' high school in Japan, every student is a huge hulking lout, and there is nothing else in the world but a baroque feudalism based on who is tougher than whom. The emphasis is on facial expression, poses, hairdos and clothing - a true Boys' Romance comic - romance meaning fighting. In three volumes there only appears one female figure, in a street scene and partially obscured by a speech balloon. In fact there is hardly anyone in this universe except the characters in the story.
Jet Lag, five stories written by Etgar Keret and drawn by members of the Actus group, including Rutu Modan, one of my favorites and an inspiration to me in cleaning up and simplifying my recent drawing style. A good example of some of the superior work being done in Israel. Anything by any of these people is worth looking up.
Golgo 13 by Takao Saito. 13 volumes of these intensely detailed and contrived stories are available in English. Golgo 13, a.k.a. Duke Togo, is the ultimate hit man, doing the impossible in every story, traveling to exotic locales to shoot people. I might call this a guilty pleasure, if I could ever feel guilty about reading comics.
Aqua, vol. 1 & 2, and Aria, by Kozue Amano. Pretty much the opposite of Golgo 13. The attempt to terraform Mars melted its polar cap and left the planet covered with water, and the planet's name has been changed to Aqua. Tourists in the city of Neo Venezia are transported by gondolas rowed by teenage girls known as Undines, and these stories are about the trials and trivias of a novice Undine. All very cute, sweet, inspiring and heartwarming.
Melvin Monster by John Stanley. Stories of a monster kid who can't help being good instead of bad, written and drawn by the genius behind Little Lulu, originally published in 1963. Splendidly revived by Drawn & Quarterly in hardback with foilstamped cover. Fun to read and full of eccentric invention.
Run, Bong-Gu, Run! by Byun Byung-Jun. A quiet Korean story of a little boy and his mother in search of the father who went to make money in the city. Beautifully drawn and painted in a way that made me stop reading and just sit looking at the picture. Expressive and a genuine work of art.
