Popular Asian Comic Books
Find comic books written by authors from Asia for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (44)
11.
Evil Eyes Sea by Ozge Samanci EN
TurkeyDescription:
This fictional graphic novel narrates a mystery story set in Istanbul before the 1995-96 elections. The story takes place against a background of political propaganda; a conservative party is rising to power using religion to appeal to voters cynically. The main protagonists, Ece and Meltem, are engineering students at Bosphorus University and in financial distress. Ece and Meltem fantasize about having the powerful gaze of Medusa and amuse themselves with efforts to move objects with their eyes. They also share a passion for scuba diving as members of the Student Diving Club. While on a divin... continue
12.
IsraelDescription:
Set in modern-day Tel Aviv, a young man, Koby Franco, receives an urgent phone call from a female soldier. Learning that his estranged father may have been a victim of a suicide bombing in Hadera, Koby reluctantly joins the soldier in searching for clues. His death would certainly explain his empty apartment and disconnected phone line. As Koby tries to unravel the mystery of his father's death, he finds himself piecing together not only the last few months of his father's life but his entire identity. With thin, precise lines and luscious watercolors, Rutu Modan creates a portrait of modern I... continue
13.
Freedom Hospital: A Syrian Story by Hamid Sulaiman EN
SyriaDescription:
It is spring 2012 and 40,000 people have died since the start of the Syrian Arab Spring. In the wake of this, Yasmin has set up a clandestine hospital in the north of the country. The town that she lives in is controlled by Assad’s brutal regime, but is relatively stable. However, as the months pass, the situation becomes increasingly complex and violent. Told in stark, beautiful black-and-white imagery, Freedom Hospital illuminates a complicated situation with gut-wrenching detail and very dark humour. The story of Syria is one of the most devastating narratives of our age and Freedom Hospita... continue
14.
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 1 by Hiromu Arakawa EN
JapanDescription:
Breaking the laws of nature is a serious crime! In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Equipped with mechanical “auto-mail” limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his and his brother’s bodies...the legendary Philosopher’s Stone. Alchemy: the mystical power to alter the natural world; something between magic, art and science. When two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, dabbled in this power to grant their dearest wish, one of them lost an arm and ... continue
15.
Go For It, Nakamura!! by Syundei EN
Description:
Nakamura loves a boy in his class--now he just has to keep himself together! Nakamura is a shy boy who falls in love at first sight with another boy--his dreamy high school classmate Hirose. But there's a problem: they haven’t met yet. And Nakamura is a total klutz who might bungle things before they even begin! In this endearing Boy’s Love comedy about the trials of high school, follow Nakamura’s hilarious attempts to cling to happiness.
16.
Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim EN
Country: Asia / 
South Korea
South Korea
Description:
This true story of a Korean comfort woman documents how the atrocity of war devastates women’s lives Grass is a powerful antiwar graphic novel, telling the life story of a Korean girl named Okseon Lee who was forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese Imperial Army during the Second World War—a disputed chapter in twentieth-century Asian history. Beginning in Lee’s childhood, Grass shows the lead-up to the war from a child’s vulnerable perspective, detailing how one person experienced the Japanese occupation and the widespread suffering it entailed for ordinary Koreans. Keum Suk Gendry-Kim em... continue
17.
How to Kidnap the Rich by Rahul Raina EN
IndiaDescription:
An entrepreneurial Indian con artist gets wrapped up in a criminal caper in this satirical look at modern-day India. The first kidnapping wasn’t my fault. The others—those were definitely me. Meet Ramesh Kumar, “examinations consultant,” who makes a lucrative living taking tests for the sons of India’s elite. He is just a cog in the wheel that keeps the middle classes thriving, until he takes India’s national university entrance exam for a lackluster student and inadvertently comes in first. Ramesh sees an opportunity—perhaps even an obligation—to cash in on the newfound celebrity of this clie... continue
18.
I Remember Beirut by Zeina Abirached EN
LebanonDescription:
Zeina Abirached, author of the award-winning graphic novel A Game for Swallows, returns with a powerful collection of wartime memories. Abirached was born in Lebanon in 1981. She grew up in Beirut as fighting between Christians and Muslims divided the city streets. Follow her past cars riddled with bullet holes, into taxi cabs that travel where buses refuse to go, and n outings to collect shrapnel from the sidewalk. With striking black-and-white artwork, Abirached recalls the details of ordinary life inside a war zone.
19.
Jamilti and Other Stories by Rutu Modan EN
Description:
Collects the author's short works; stories that range from darkly fantastical and unsettling to surprising discoveries that shape personal identity, as well as addressing political violence affecting everyday lives.
20.
Lovesickness: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito EN
Description:
An innocent love becomes a bloody hell in another superb collection by master of horror Junji Ito. Ryusuke returns to the town he once lived in because rumors are swirling about girls killing themselves after encountering a bewitchingly handsome young man. Harboring his own secret from time spent in this town, Ryusuke attempts to capture the beautiful boy and close the case, but… Starting with the strikingly bloody “Lovesickness,” this volume collects ten stories showcasing horror master Junji Ito in peak form, including “The Strange Hikizuri Siblings” and “The Rib Woman.”