The Arrival by Shaun Tan - "Tan captures the displacement and awe with which immigrants respond to their new surroundings in this wordless graphic novel. It depicts the journey of one man, threatened by dark shapes that cast shadows on his family's life, to a new country. The only writing is in an invented alphabet, which creates the sensation immigrants must feel when they encounter a strange new language and way of life. A wide variety of ethnicities is represented in Tan's hyper-realistic style, and the sense of warmth and caring for others, regardless of race, age, or background, is present on nearly every page."
Northlanders by Brian Wood - A gory Vertigo graphic novel series depicting the Northlanders, vikings of beardedness. A loose series, each trade follows a different protagonist and time period.
Epileptic by David B. - An autobiographical graphic novel in Craig Thompson's style about the author's epileptic brother. The art's swirly style visualizes the disability.
Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis A dystopian future series follows journalist Spider Jerusalem who has various conspiracy and craziness-ridden adventures.
Jim Henson's Tale of Sand by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl - "Discovered in the Archives of The Jim Henson Company, A Tale of Sand is an original graphic novel adaptation of an unproduced, feature-length screenplay written by Jim Henson and his frequent writing partner, Jerry Juhl. A Tale of Sand follows scruffy everyman, Mac, who wakes up in an unfamiliar town, and is chased across the desert of the American Southwest by all manners of man and beast of unimaginable proportions. Produced with the complete blessing of Henson co-CEO Lisa Henson, A Tale of Sand will allow Henson fans to recognize some of the inspirations and set pieces that appeared in later Henson Company productions."
Daredevil by Mark Waid - The first five issues of DC's Daredevil reboot has the most Eisner nominations this year and is getting heaps of praise.
Wonder Woman by Brian Azzarello - Wonder Woman rebooted as more of a horror comic, "weird and worth your while."
iZombie by Chris Roberson - "Told from a female zombie’s perspective, this smart, witty detective series mixes urban fantasy and romantic dramedy. Gwendolyn “Gwen” Dylan is a 20-something gravedigger in an eco-friendly cemetery. Once a month she must eat a human brain to keep from losing her memories, but in the process she becomes consumed with the thoughts and personality of the dead person – until she eats her next brain. She sets out to fulfill the dead person’s last request, solve a crime or right a wrong."
