Welcome to Manga Zubon, where I take a look at the manga that have come out each month and pick what I think are the best of the lot. These are the manga that I feel deserve recognition and readership more than the rest, so I’m singling them out. My focus in this column is mostly on first volumes to get you in on the ground floor of new series, but I will include standouts in ongoing series as well. Keep in mind that though I do my best, I can’t read everything that comes out each month, so if you have something you think I missed or just have something to say about the ones I’ve chosen, please chime in in the comments section.

Bombos vs. Everything V.1
Creator: Maximo V. Lorenzo
Publisher: Tokyopop

Sometimes, books are awesome. Rarely is a book both awesome and about being awesome, like this one. Bombos is a paperboy who lives in a remote town and beats the crap out of stuff with a bat. The nearby cave men fear him. His dream is to qualify in epic fights to go to the mysterious city of Bokonon, where badasses are made. Amazingly, his boss is secretly a fighter from Bokonon who willing to train Bombos and his rival, so they can qualify to be badasses too. There’s lots of crazy fighting, and much attitude is exhibited. But if he qualifies, Bombos will have to leave behind Addy, his girl. Oh, fickle fate! This book should come in a bag to catch the testosterone that drips from it.

Chunchu the Genocide Fiend V.1
Writer: Kim Sung-Jae
Artist: Kim Byung-Jin
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Part of Dark Horse’s ever-expanding manhwa line, Chunchu is the story of twins born to an Emperor, one of which is foretold to host a demon. To determine which is which, a demonic rock is left with the babies, on the assumption that like will draw like. Unfortunately, the demonic baby simply drives the rock into the chest of the pure baby when nobody is around, leading to a situation where both babies are tainted, one who is thought to be clean but isn’t inherits the throne, and one who used to be clean but isn’t anymore is given to a group of mercenaries. Everybody’s angry, there’s plenty of violence, and Chunchu just wants to know ‘Why?’ in this action-packed fantasy series. It’s all about attitude and testosterone here.

Miki Falls V.1: Spring and V.2: Summer
Creator: Mark Crilley
Publisher: Harper Collins

Best known for the outstanding all-ages book Akiko, Mark Crilley enters into more mangafied territory here with the first two parts of four-part series that had me misting up like a big ol’ baby. Miki Yoshida enters her final year of high school determined to live for herself. When she meets new student Hiro Sakurai, who seems focused on driving everyone away from him, she decides that nothing will keep her from being his friend- and maybe something more. But Hiro has a secret, and he isn’t about to give in easily. This touching love story is drawn beautifully and has some of the most evocative scenes I’ve ever read on a page. I didn’t read these books so much as feel them, and that’s as much due to Crilley’s writing as it is to his amazing artwork. If you have a heart, you should check these out.

Peace Maker V.1
Creator: Nanae Chrono
Publisher: Tokyopop

At the dawn of Meiji Japan, one young ronin seeks revenge for the murder of his parents and the best path he sees is to join the shinsengumi, the brutal unofficial police. Will Tetsunosuke become a demon to achieve his goals or will he discover who he truly is when he discovers what he will not do? Fun characters, an intriguing plot and plenty of action made this a book I want to follow. I’m also a sucker for historical tie-ins, so use of the shinsengumi and actual characters from its real life version was a big bonus for me.

We Shadows V.1
Creator: Sonny Strait
Publisher: Tokyopop

Anime voice actor and assistant on Elfquest Sonny Strait turns his attention to manga with We Shadows, a frenetic, funny look at the world of Faerie in modern times. With glamour being siphoned from Faerie to the human realm by hobgoblins, most faeries have fallen asleep and Oberon and Titania are prisoners. Goat, a clumsy faerie with no friends, is a faerie princess in training taking lessons from a talking mushroom. Jim is a human who fears he is losing his mind. Puck is one third of the rulership of Faerie, and thinks he is dying. How are these three connected, if they even are? How can they save Faerie? Why is Goat so lame? Full of energy and reading a bit like Strait has ADD, this was a great bit of fun and I’m looking forward to more.