New to the joys of manga? Before you read the rest, check out some of the best. Our top 20 list includes recommended reads for every age and every taste. Choose from action-packed shonen manga and romantic shojo manga for kids and teens or cutting-edge graphic novels for adults -- you're sure to discover a comic book that will blow you away.
11. Vagabond
© 1998 - 2002 I.T. Planning Inc.
Author & Artist: Takehiko Inoue
Publisher: VIZ Signature / VIZ Media
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Boldly written and beautiful to behold, Vagabond offers a modern take on legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. The twist? The Musashi we meet in Vagabond is a fierce, untamed animal, a young man looking for his purpose in life, even if it means having to kill or be killed to meet his goals. Manga creator Takehiko Inoue has a knack for drawing adrenaline-pumping fight scenes that put the reader right in the middle of the action, and for creating believable characters with intriguing imperfections. Vagabond transcends the samurai genre and delivers a story that's raw, real and memorable.
12. Uzumaki
© 1998 Junji ITO / Shogakukan Inc.
Author & Artist: Junji Ito
Publisher: VIZ Signature / VIZ Media
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Venture if you dare into the bizarre and terrifying world of Uzumaki, Junji Ito's masterpiece of horror manga. Centered around a haunted seaside town, the story of Uzumaki is a frightening descent into madness that will make your skin crawl and have you sleeping with the lights on.
13. Oh! My Goddess
Writer/Artist: Kosuke FujishimaPublisher: Dark Horse
Nerdy technical college student Morisato Keiichi is brilliant with machines, but a dunce in romance. After dialing the "goddess hotline" by mistake, he ends up with a real live, magic-wielding goddess living in his home. While this manga series starts off like any "geek meets magical girl" story, Oh! My Goddess evolves into a beautifully drawn series that somehow manages to mix principles of mechanical engineering with the workings of the human heart.
14. Swan
© Kyoko Ariyoshi / Akita Publishing Co. Ltd.
Author & Artist: Kyoko Ariyoshi
Publisher: CMX Manga
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A classic shojo manga title from the '70's now available in English from CMX, Kyoko Ariyoshi's Swan follows Masumi, a talented but insecure ballet student as she competes against world-class dancers to become a prima ballerina. Ariyoshi's emotionally-driven storylines and dramatic artwork style makes Swan a benchmark in shojo manga.
15. The Walking Man
© Jiro Taniguchi / Fanfare Ponent Mon
Author & Artist: Jiro Taniguchi
Publisher: Fanfare / Ponent Mon
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In today's 70 mph rush-hour, traffic jam, city streets, wi-fi, multi-tasking world, it's refreshing to be reminded that sometimes, you just gotta stop and smell the roses. Or in the case of Jiro Taniguchi's The Walking Man, just take the dog out for a walk. Beautifully drawn and quietly meditative, The Walking Man is a delightful detour from the usual frenetic blood-and-guts action of most seinen manga.
16. Dragon Ball
Author & Artist: Akira ToriyamaPublisher: VIZ Media
Wildly inventive and just plain fun to read, Dragon Ball starts off as an adventure quest story that was influenced by the Monkey King tales of Chinese folklore. Goku, an oddly strong little boy with a monkey tail embarks on a quest to collect the magical Dragon Balls that grant wishes. Along the way, he meets a motley array of friends and enemies who challenge him, heckle him and teach him to become one of the best martial arts masters of all time. Dragon Ball and its 'hopped up on steroids' sequel, Dragon Ball Z provided the inspiration (and story templates) for an entire generation of shonen manga artists who followed, including Naruto and One Piece.
17. Phoenix
Publisher: Viz Signature
An epic tale that spans centuries, Phoenix explores themes of life, death, love, cruelty and redemption that sweeps the reader away to another time and place. Considered Tezuka's masterpiece, Phoenix offers nothing less than mind-blowing storytelling and gorgeous artwork.
18. Bleach
© Tite Kubo
Author & Artist: Tite Kubo
Publisher: Shonen Jump / VIZ Media
Visit VIZ Media's Bleach page
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Average teen Ichigo already had a not-so-average life: His father acts like an overgrown child, his younger sisters practically run the house and oh yeah -- he can see ghosts. As if that wasn't enough, Ichigo meets a "soul reaper," a metaphysical warrior who battles demons and helps the deceased find their way to their final reward. By accident, Ichigo acquires the powers and responsibilities of a soul reaper. Now he not only sees ghosts, he has to battle the undead "Hollows" and eventually, face "real" Soul Reapers who don't take kindly to his newfound powers.
19. InuYasha
Writer/Artist: Rumiko TakahashiPublisher: Viz Media
Arguably one of the most popular manga artists ever, Rumiko Takahashi draws stories that mix humor with horror, exciting action sequences and memorable characters that make her works can't-miss manga must-reads. Her most recent series, InuYasha transports Kagome, a modern teen, to feudal Japan where demons are as common as samurai. While there, she teams up with InuYasha, a half-demon/half-human on a quest to retrieve a magical jewel. Action-packed and full of humor and heart, InuYasha is fun read for teens and young adults alike.
20. The Pushman and Other Stories
Writer / Artist: Yoshihiro TatsumiPublisher: Drawn & Quarterly
You'll find no doe-eyed school girls or magical ninjas in Tatsumi's gritty and dark manga. Instead, be prepared to visit the seedy underbelly of life in Japan, meet its most desperate souls and experience their lives at street-level realism. The Pushman and Other Stories is a great example of avant-garde/alternative manga created by cutting-edge artists for mature readers.
