David Boring by Dan Clowes
You may have seen the movies Ghostworld, and even read the graphic novel. David Boring is the story that immediately followed Ghost World in Clowes Eightball series, and is a much darker, gothic tale of lust, betrayal and the end of the world. After being accused of murdering a missing woman, Boring is shot in the head, and is transferred to a strange island to convalesce, only for terrorists to render the mainland uninhabitable due to germ warfare. And of course, it's the kind of book where the plot summary doesn't begin to scratch the surface of “what it's about. It's the kind of story you'd expect from David Lynch or Chris Cunningham, expressed in a clean visual style that's easy to read. Highly recommended. Watch the trailer then buy the book.

The Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Kim Deitch
Set during the birth of American animation, Deitch's tale follows the life, loves and deaths of a group of cartoonists who's life are invaded my a malevolent talking cat named Waldo, who's cute outward appearance belies his evil side, driving them to despair, alcoholism and ruin. Never has an artists' illustration style so perfectly matched a period tale since Eddie Campbell's work on From Hell, and it adds a surreal documentary style to the story. So much so that you have to keep convincing yourself that Waldo isn't real, something that even Deitch seems to have problems with. Watch Waldo dance then buy the book.

Black Hole by Charles Burns
After many years, Burns has just finished serilaizing his magnum, Black Hole. It's a dark tale of gothic America, as teenagers succumb to a mysterious, sexually transmitted mutation disease that sees them growing tails, second mouths in their necks and a variety of other gross deformities. Ostracized from society, they submerge in their own hidden world of drugs, drifting and death. A modern story of disaffected youth that's a true successor to Rebel Without A Cause. And Burns unique 'woodcut” style makes the dark underside of teenage life as black as it's ever been. Watch Burns' animation for Altoids then pre-order the book.