Ghost World

I first became aware of Dan Clowes' work through his Lloyd Llewelyn strips and then his Eightball comic. Dark, strange and surreal his work has an unsettling quality despite being rooted in the mundane and everyday.

Ghost World originally ran in the pages of Eightball and this collected edition is a high point (to be fair he has very few low points). Enid and Becky are two teenage friends on the cusp of adulthood, growing up together and growing apart. Their are utterly believable, fully realised characters and this downbeat, slightly melancholy work is quite superb. The artwork is great but its the dialogue which really brings them to life - realistic, mundane and true.

Sharply observed, this is a must for all comic fans.