Top 10 Tuesday: Books That Should Be On Your List If You Love Manga/Comics

It's Tuesday!! So that means another Top 10 Tuesday hosted by the ladies over that The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is "Books That Should Be on Your List if You Love X." I've really been getting into manga and comics lately so I decided to go with that theme. Let's go ahead and get stated!

Happy Reading!!! 

Food Wars! Shokugeki No Soma by Yuto Tsukuda. If you have ever been on my Youtube channel or on this blog then you know how much I love the manga Food Wars! Shokugeki No Soma. It's such an amazing series and out of the 11 volumes I've read 10 and have loved each and every single one of them. If you love cooking or if you're a foodie I definitely recommend this series.

Goodreads Blurb/Summary:

Soma Yukihira's old man runs a small family restaurant in the less savory end of town.  Aiming to one day surpass his father's culinary prowess, Soma hones his skills day in and day out until one day, out of the blue, his father decides to enroll Soma in a classy culinary school!  Can Soma really cut it in a school that prides itself on a 10 percent graduation rate? And cacn he convince the beautiful, domineering heiress of the school that he belongs there at all?!

Nana by Ai Yazawa. I actually started this series by finding the anime and then once I found out it was a manga I definitely had to check it out. I love that its a coming of age story and heavily focuses on the benefits of female friendship. This story contains a little bit of everything and you'll find it humorous that both of the main characters are named Nana. I have only read 3 out of the 21 volumes and unfortunately it is currently on hiatus meaning the creator of the series is not writing anymore volumes. 

Goodreads Blurb/Summary: 

Nana Komatsu is a young woman who's endured an unending string of boyfriend problems. Moving to Tokyo, she's hoping to take control of her life and put all those messy misadventures behind her. She's looking for love and she's hoping to find it in the big city. Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is cool, confident and focused. She swaggers into town and proceeds to kick down the doors to Tokyo's underground punk scene. She's got a dream and won't give up until she becomes Japan's No. 1 rock'n'roll superstar. This is the story of two 20-year-old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of Nana is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties.

Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya. So I always saw this series in my second hand bookstore, but I never picked it up. I'm so glad that I finally did. It is cute, fast-paced, and contains some really interesting elements. There are 23 volumes that complete the series. It is currently out of print; however, it is being re-released this summer in 2 volume bind ups! :) 

Goodreads Blurb/Summary: 

A family with an ancient curse...

And the girl who will change their lives forever...

Tohru Honda was an orphan with no place to go until the mysterious Sohma family offered her a place to call home. Now her ordinary high school life is turned upside down as she's introduced to the Sohma's world of magical curses and family secrets.

Fables by Bill Willingham. So just like Food Wars, this is another series that I find myself talking about quite a bit. If you love anything that deals with fairy-tale re-tellings then I would definitely recommend checking out this series. It's 22 volumes long (it also has a handful of spin-off series) and features some of the most well known fairy-tale characters like Snow White, The Big Bad Wolf, Prince Charming, Rose Red, and Little Boy Blue. It is one of my favorite comics to date. 

Goodreads Blurb/Summary: 

When a savage creature known only as the Adversary conquered the fabled lands of legends and fairy tales, all of the infamous inhabitants of folklore were forced into exile. Disguised among the normal citizens of modern-day New York, these magical characters have created their own peaceful and secret society within an exclusive luxury apartment building called Fabletown. But when Snow White's party-girl sister, Rose Red, is apparently murdered, it is up to Fabletown's sheriff, a reformed and pardoned Big Bad Wolf (Bigby Wolf), to determine if the killer is Bluebeard, Rose's ex-lover and notorious wife killer, or Jack, her current live-in boyfriend and former beanstalk-climber.

Chew by John Layman & Rob Guillory. Out of all the comics and manga on this list, I would have to say that Chew is the most disturbing, but also one of the most interesting. It contains some unique concepts that I believe all readers can enjoy. I have read 4 out of the currently published 10 volumes. I believe the 11th volume is supposed to be published sometime this year. 

Goodreads Blurb/Summary:

Tony Chu is a detective with a secret. A weird secret. Tony Chu is Cibopathic, which means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. It also means he's a hell of a detective, as long as he doesn't mind nibbling on the corpse of a murder victim to figure out whodunit, and why. He's been brought on by the Special Crimes Division of the FDA, the most powerful law enforcement agency on the planet, to investigate their strangest, sickest, and most bizarre cases.

Zodiac Starforce by Kevin Panetta. This is a lesser known comic series that I discovered randomly last year. If you enjoy comics that focus on girl power than this definitely is a series that you should check out. The artwork is completely vibrant and beautiful. I've read the single issues, but the complete first volume was published last month. This is definitely a great read for individuals who love Sailor Moon. 

Goodreads Blurb/Summary:

They're an elite group of teenage girls with magical powers who have sworn to protect our planet against dark creatures . . . as long as they can get out of class! Known as the Zodiac Starforce, these high-school girls aren't just combating math tests. They're also battling monsters--not your typical afterschool activity! But when an evil force from another dimension infects team leader Emma, she must work with her team of magically powered friends to save herself--and the world--from the evil Diana and her mean-girl minions!

Locke & Key by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez. If you need a comic series that is dark and twisted then this series is perfect for you. Full of gore and violence, Locke and Key incorporates the horror genre with some fantastical elements. There are 6 volumes of this series. I have read 5 out of the 6 and have definitely enjoyed each and every one of them. 

Goodreads Blurb/Summary:

Locke & Key tells of Keyhouse, an unlikely New England mansion, with fantastic doors that transform all who dare to walk through them. Home to a hate-filled and relentless creature that will not rest until it forces open the most terrible door of them all...

The Unwritten by Mike Carey & Peter Gross. I just recently discovered this series this year through the recommendation of comic book store owner that I know. If you love things that have a twist on Harry Potter I would recommend series. It's not a direct rendition of the series, but it definitely has some similarities. I'm currently reading the 2nd volume of the 11 volume series and it is enjoyable. 

Goodreads Blurb/Summary: 

Tom Taylor's life was screwed from go. His father created the Tommy Taylor fantasy series, boy-wizard novels with popularity on par with Harry Potter. The problem is Dad modeled the fictional epic so closely to Tom's real life that fans are constantly comparing him to his counterpart, turning him into the lamest variety of Z-level celebrity. In the final novel, it's even implied that the fictional Tommy will crossover into the real world, giving delusional fans more excuses to harass Tom. 

When an enormous scandal reveals that Tom might really be a boy-wizard made flesh, Tom comes into contact with a very mysterious, very deadly group that's secretly kept tabs on him all his life. Now, to protect his own life and discover the truth behind his origins, Tom will travel the world, eventually finding himself at locations all featured on a very special map -- one kept by the deadly group that charts places throughout world history where fictions have impacted and tangibly shaped reality, those stories ranging from famous literary works to folktales to pop culture. And in the process of figuring out what it all means, Tom will find himself having to figure out a huge conspiracy mystery that spans the entirety of the history of fiction.

Morning Glories by Nick Spencer & Joe Eisma. This is another random discovery I made last year and I absolutely fell in love with the artwork. If you are the type that loves the boarding school element with mystery I would definitely recommend this series. I have read 2 out of the 9 published volumes and hope to continue with the series soon. 

Goodreads Blurb/Summary 

Morning Glory Academy

One of the most prestigious prep schools in the country...But behind it's hallowed doors something sinister and deadly lurks. When six brilliant but troubled new students arrive, they find themselves trapped and desperately seeking answers...and escape from a place where nothing is what it seems to be!

Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn. If you ever wondered what the world would be like without a single man? I have and Brian K. Vaughn does a wonderful job creating that scenario in this comic series. It has adventure, humor, and suspense. So far I've read 2 out of the 10 volume series and have enjoyed each one of them. 

Goodreads Blurb/Summary

"Y" is none other than unemployed escape artist Yorick Brown (his father was a Shakespeare buff), and he's seemingly the only male human left alive after a mysterious plague kills all Y-chromosome carriers on earth. But why are he and his faithful companion, the often testy male monkey Ampersand, still alive? He sets out to find the answer (and his girlfriend), while running from angry female Republicans (now running the government), Amazon wannabes that include his own sister (seemingly brainwashed), and other threats.

I hope you guys enjoyed! If there are any comic/manga series that you would like to recommend make sure you leave them in the comment section below! :)