One part sci-fi cyberpunk thriller/one part classic superhero deconstruction, what ultimately gives Akira the edge over its competitors is the absolutely sublime exhibition of visual unity achieved in the piece, possessing one of the finest visual sequencing compositions ever concocted not simply in manga, but perhaps in all of comics.Īkira’s strong points are many: an indelible cast of characters who succeed in filling out what becomes an intensely riveting philosophical exploration of human psychology, a lived-in world filled with dynamic, interconnected parts that never feel forced or cheap and a feeling of ceaseless escalation that becomes conducive to one of the most emotionally evocative villains in all of manga, the maniacal Tetsuo. Though the realm of manga is filled with all manner of engrossing narratives in the dystopian style, there is simply no substitute for what is clearly among the greatest endeavors in its history: Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira. An immensely mature and sophisticated critique of Japanese social and cultural mores of the time, Drifting Classroom is a well-constructed strip that takes pains to depict a Lord of the Flies situation in as devastating a method as possible. The most striking characteristic of Umezu’s efforts might be the traditional-seeming art-style of the period being ironically and surreally twisted with each increasingly violent and catastrophic event of the series illustrated, which in turn subtly underscores the inherent social commentary in that comforting art-style being used instead to exhibit tragedies well beyond the grade school subject matter.

No doubt originally intended as a cautionary tale on the pitfalls of delinquency among youth, Kazuo Umezu’s ridiculously disturbing and surreal tale of students whose school building becomes transported to a mysterious post-apocalyptic landscape simply crawling with monsters is without question a groundbreaking work of horror. Surely among the most influential manga on this list, Drifting Classroom is an oddity of its times, setting a standard of terror and creepiness that persists 50 years after its original publishing.

Akira, Vol. 1 by Katsuhiro Otomo