FreakAngels by Warren Ellis

The popular webcomic is now available in six paperback volumes stuffed to the brim with psychics, steampunks, and planetary disaster: just the thrilling sort of stuff to liven up any summer beach read bag. Buy the whole set and study up on your pyrokinesis before you fire up that grill. (Photo: Avatar Press)

Black Hole by Charles Burns

This graphic novel found a new audience after it appeared in last year's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Black Hole takes place in a nightmare alternate Seattle, where teenagers mutate into classic B-movie monsters after catching a disease. It's a surprisingly intense read that'll keep you creeped out long after you finish. (Photo: Pantheon)

The Sculptor by Scott McCloud

Scott McCloud may be most famous for his instructional books on creating comics. Now you can see his principles in action in a very weird tale about a sculptor who makes a deal with death to gain inhuman artistic capabilities. It's one of the most peculiar superpowers we've ever seen illustrated. (Photo: First Second)

Just So Happens by Fumio Obata

A young woman living in London returns home to Tokyo after she learns of her father's death. This is a thoughtful story about immigration, grief, and making tough choices. If you're looking for something outside of the box, this is your sure bet. (Photo: Harry N. Abrams)

Celeste by I. N. J. Culbard

When you're ready for a dose of epic, intelligent sci-fi, you'll want to pick up the latest creation from I. N. J. Culbard, famous for his work on Sherlock Holmes. Celeste explores the end of the world from the viewpoint of the few people left to experience it. Think Last Man on Earth mixed with 2001 and you're halfway there. (Photo: SelfMadeHero)

This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki

The cousin team-up that brought us the exceptional graphic novel Skim joins forces once again for an incredible coming-of-age story. Set during the summer at a lakeside cottage, This One Summer details, with a touching sense of sadness, the friendship of two girls. (Photo: First Second)

MW by Osamu Tezuka

The Japanese godfather of Manga, Osamu Tezuka, has a reputation for going for the jugular in his stories, and MW is no exception. In what's probably his darkest work, Osamu tells the tale of Michio, a disturbing young psychopath who enjoys cruelty. You'll need an appetite for something revolting and revolutionary to read this one, but you'll be rewarded if you can stick it out. (Photo: Vertical)

Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore

This is another graphic novel series for your classics shelf. First serialized in 1993, Strangers in Paradise is now available in six paperbacks perfect for traveling. Jump in and discover why this love-triangle thriller remains a fan favorite. (Photo: Abstract Studio)

The Motherless Oven by Rob Davis

A world that rains knives and has no birthdays sounds like an awful place to live, but it's a wonderfully surreal place to visit in this new graphic novel by Rob Davis. If your teenage years were bizarre, brooding and impenetrable, you'll feel right at home. (Photo: SelfMadeHero)

Pluto by Naoki Urasawa

Astro Boy holds a prominent place in the pantheon of important Japanese manga, which makes Naoki Urasawa's bold retelling of the story all the more impressive. Pluto's blending of a classic Japanese style with hard-edged, Philip K. Dick-inspired cyberpunk produces amazing results. (Photo: VIZ Media)

The Graphic Canon Vol. 3 (Edited by Russ Kick)

The Graphic Canon has lived up to its editor's huge ambitions of publishing an omnibus of classic world literature in comic form. It's a great way to introduce yourself to the important works of literature humans have created, combined with unique interpretations by dozens of the world's greatest illustrators. Volume 3 includes contemporary writers like Thomas Pynchon and David Foster Wallace, a highbrow/lowbrow combo the authors themselves would surely appreciate. (Photo: Seven Stories Press)

Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid On Earth by Chris Ware

In many ways Jimmy Corrigan put alternative comics and graphic novels on the critical map, with the New Yorker calling it "the first formal masterpiece of the medium." Jimmy Corrigan is a tragic, and at times hilariously awkward, story of father-son relations and the ways we negotiate identities in a complicated world. It's time to finally check it off your list! (Photo: Pantheon)

Over Easy by Mimi Pond

Anyone who's wound up hungover in a California diner will find this nostalgic send up of dropouts, punks, and artists entertaining. It's a smart memoir that feels like a more warm-hearted and witty version of Inherent Vice. (Photo: Drawn and Quarterly)

Safe Area Goražde by Joe Sacco

Joe Sacco is a war reporter on a mission: to humanize complex foreign conflicts and bring them to life in comic form. With the rigor of a journalist and the empathy of an artist, Joe makes the Bosnian War feel as if it happened to your friends. The book is an unmissable achievement. (Photo: Fantagraphics)

Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle

Before the worldwide controversy over Seth Rogen and James Franco's The Interview, this book opened a window into the secretive country of North Korea. This is an eye-opening journey through the author's job as an animator under the rule of Kim Jong-il. A movie version was even in the works, but Fox pulled the plug after last year's threats over The Interview. Now you can read the story that was too dangerous to show. (Photo: Drawn and Quarterly)