Deathnote by Tsugumi Ohba, Illustrated by Takeshi Obata

Light Yagami, a teenage boy, discovers a supernatural notebook that grants him the ability to kill anyone whose name and face he knows. The suspicious chain of deaths that follow lead youthful detective L (a code name) to investigate what he believes are homicides. At the start of the story Light uses the notebook with intent to cleanse the world of all evil as if he were a god. As L begins his investigation, Light, in order to stay ahead of L, eventually has to kill more than just criminals and loses focus of his original good intentions. Suicides and homicides are all drawn with intricate detail in gorgeous black and white frames that are sure to suck in the readers time and time again. Readers may be advised: some of the frames graphically depict the death sequences. To view the official site for the manga series and anime series click here. -- Claudio Leon