While I'm not a big fan of Japanese manga, I would also say that those interested in understanding the global nature of the art form might take a gander at Lone Wolf and Cub and Akira as classics of Japanese comics. Lone Wolf and Cub was actually the genesis of the graphic novel which was the basis of the recent Tom Hanks film Road to Perdition (another worthwhile book). And I might mention how you could also thumb through the ever-expanding manga sections at your local Barnes & Noble or Borders (since all the independent bookstores are being throttled by the competition).

But I think the same titles typically end up on many lists of the "best" graphic novels or suggested reading lists, so I am going to veer of in a slightly different direction. I'm going to look at five newer titles I think might be worth looking at for a variety of reasons – either because they're really good or because they represent certain trends in the American comic book industry. And I'm looking at it from the perspective of providing familiarity with comics, not necessarily pointing out my favorites or what I consider the "best" around: these are just some titles that are worth a look.

Hands down, for my money the best superhero comic book published today is Marvel's complete makeover of The Avengers. Like many fans, when Marvel initially proposed creating a new comic book line based on its current characters but in a "new" universe that jettisoned some forty years of continuity, I considered it a stunt focused more on attracting a "younger" audience than anything else. Some of its resulting "Ultimate" line have been a bit uneven, but with The Ultimates they hit a home run.

Tough, gritty storylines combined with excellently imagined visuals drive this fusion of current events with comic book mainstays like Captain America, Thor, the Wasp, and the Hulk. Rougher and with a much harder edge than the original, the book explores both the dynamics of super-powered beings and the interaction of governments and individuals. The potential devastation associated with these characters is no longer ignored but embraced: the Hulk, especially, ceases to be little more than mindless muscle and is instead depicted as a complete unmooring of selfish urges from reason or morality. He
eats, he rages, he wants.

Similarly, the title doesn't shy away from such topics as marital discord and abuse (one issue features an ugly brawl between the Wasp and Giant-Man that is simply brutal despite its incorporation of super powers). But it also gives readers plenty of action – the first "series" of issues was devoted to an alien invasion, complete with the need to unleash the ultimate loose cannon (i.e., the Hulk). The diverse characters – such as the playboy Tony Stark and the hippie anti-globalist Thor and Nick Fury, the calculating general in charge of the new American super solider program – make it highly entertaining, even while it continues to feature as its emotional core Captain America, the World War II super-soldier who awakes to find himself in a brand new world. As they say – if you read only one superhero title, this one should be it.

Now, let's say you want to go a little more literary, or you're afraid somebody will say something about your interest in characters wearing tights. It might well be that the much-praised Blankets is more your speed. Originally envisioned as a true "graphic novel" rather than as an ongoing series, this is sort of a semi-autobiographical coming of age romance title by Craig Thompson. It's painful and poignant in many respects: Thompson recreates his upbringing in what he and reviewers often characterize as a "rigid fundamentalist Christian environment."

Thompson and his younger brother escape their parent's discipline (including being forced to sleep in a "cubby-hole," a claustrophobic storage chamber) through childish daydreams and a love of drawing. Shy and reserved, Thompson is often the target of schoolhouse bullies. His parents belittle his artistic talent and regard it as sinful even as they hammer the boys with scripture. In high school, Thompson meets a girl named Raina and a group of "misfits" at a church camp. She's beautiful, open, fun, and even popular, she introduces him to a whole host of experiences and emotions.

Drawn with stylized black and white illustrations and narrated in a somewhat stream of consciousness fashion, complete with juxtaposed scripture references, the story deals with Thompson's interactions with his family, with others, and with his own emerging adulthood. Personally, I was disappointed in the "flexible" spirituality Thompson has seemingly adopted, but the issues he deals with are those which face us all.

Yeah, we're back to the superheroes. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale have made quite a name for themselves with a number of stand-alone volumes that explore familiar characters like Superman, Spider-man, Daredevil, and Batman (in a recent issue of Creative Screenwriting, the screenwriter of the upcoming Batman Begins film describes Loeb and Sale's The Long Halloween as the "second best Batman story ever," by which I assume he means that Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns is the best). And in comic book circles at least Loeb made a splash a couple of years ago when he teamed up with super-artist Jim Lee for a run on the primary Batman title.

Here, Loeb and Sale take a look at the "Incredible Hulk" in a stand-alone six-issue series. Sale trots out the Hulk's original color (the green fans seem to like so much was a famous printer's error) and Loeb's story paints a devastating story of the fallout of Bruce Banner's fragmented life. Told in flashback as Bruce talks to a psychiatrist friend, Banner re-examines the accident that turned him into the not-so-jolly giant, together with his relationship with Betsy Ross, the woman he loved, and her father, the general in charge of the weapon program Banner worked on (and the man who hunted him tirelessly until his own death). And like most therapy sessions, the most important revelations come through self-discovery.

Between Jeph Loeb's sparse storytelling, which rarely (if ever) gets in the way of the imagery, and Sale's evocative artwork, they combine to tell a haunting tale of loss. Dark, somber, and moody, it avoids all of the pop culture absurdity often associated with the character and delves far more deeply into the psychological implications. If nothing else, it's worth reading while waiting for their Catwoman: When in Rome series to be collected in hardback form.

B. Clay Moore's brightly colored, moody fusion of noir and the tropics takes readers to 1953 Hawaii, where down-on-his-luck detective is drawn into a supernatural mystery featuring island myths, zombies, and a murdered girl.

Byrd, the private detective, is regarded as something of an outsider in Hawaii since he came to the island from "the States." Perhaps that's why, when a gangster's girlfriend is kidnapped he ends up being hired by both the gangster (to get the girl back) and the kidnapper (to recover the car which has the girl in the trunk, which was itself stolen from him). Even though he can use both clients (and hopes to play both of them against each other), Byrd ends up with more than he expected: ancient tribal customs, an eerie collection of zombies, and a dead girl.

Moore has quite a bit of fun in this book, and artist Steven Griffin's visuals seal the deal. The art is a dense combination of tropical pastel flare and moody, fluid, and sometimes impressionistic lines. The combination of hard-boiled dialogue, laid-back tropical attitudes, and unusual artwork makes the book well worth the read.

This ongoing series written by Ed Brubaker, the heir apparent to Frank Miller in terms of violent conflict, is something I'm tossing into the mix primarily because it is an inventive story wrapped with nihilism, ambiguity, violence, possible misogyny, and sexual perversion. Gee, did I get your attention with all that?

The story's premise is, as is often the case, beautifully simple: Holden Carver is a double agent, deep undercover in one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world. The deeper he goes, the more morally compromised he becomes, and even if he wanted to be the spy who came in from the cold, he couldn't because the only guy who knows he's not really a crook is in a coma. The wrinkle that gives this crime storyline its comic book punch is this: Carver has superpowers, and the bad guys he works with aren't your garden variety thugs – they're cruel, calculating supervillains.

It's a gritty, merciless world Carver inhabits, and Brubaker's dense plotline spins on a number of levels, mixing the world of spies with the notion of superheroes quite well. At the same time, however, Brubaker seems determined to brutalize his characters, as if smashing them with a hammer before dumping them into a cauldron of simmering hate, distrust, and unadulterated evil. Holden's power, which he acquired in an oddly mysterious fashion, is that he is essentially impervious to harm. But that comes with a twist: the pain he would otherwise suffer ends up transferred to those he comes into physical contact with. Meanwhile, his partner, Miss Misery, obtains her power from performing sadistic, immoral acts: the worse she behaves, the more powerful she becomes.

While the title isn't a big seller, it is something of a critic's darling, especially for its satirical components (for example, one issue features an implicit parody of annual stockholders' meetings, only this time it is the annual meeting of the shadowy corporations who secretly run the world). One problem, of course, is that the satire is sometimes lost in the excesses of violence and sexual mayhem that Brubaker dishes out. In fact, while I was initially intrigued by the storyline, I myself bailed on the series simply because I found it far too repulsive for regular reading. Others would undoubtedly disagree and regard it as smart and funny and "cool." Regardless, someone interested in comic books ought to take a look at it simply to see what kind of stories are being told.

Bill Wallo is an attorney and law clerk for a federal bankruptcy judge in northern Wisconsin. He blogs at Walloworld.