Michael Gombos of Dark Horse Shares His 9 Must-Read Manga

If you've read and loved GANTZ, MPD Psycho or Blood+, you pretty much have Michael Gombos to thank for that. As Director of Asian Licensing for Dark Horse, Gombos is pretty much the go-to guy who gets Japanese manga and Korean manhwa for the Milwaukie, Oregon-based comics publisher.

But to find great manga and manhwa, you've got to read lots and lots of manga and manhwa. So out of morbid curiousity, I asked Gombos for his top 10 manga -- his "desert island manga list," the books that he keeps front and center on his bookshelf, the comics that he can't wait to read and re-read over and over again. What he came up with is a list of his nine favorites, ranging from the cyberpunk adventures of Akira to the romantic comedy of Sekitou Erejii and a lot of stuff in between.

Along the way, he also shares some personal anecdotes about why these books have found a close near to his heart, and points out a few obscure gems that might find their way into your must-read manga list too. Check out Mike Gombos' 9 Best Manga List and find out which manga makes him "cry with laughter" every time he reads it.

Photo credit: Dave Nestelle