Gurewitch, who spent a lot of the show (held October 12 and 13 at the Marriott Bethesda North Conference Center in Bethesda, Md.) busily signing copies of his Perry Bible Fellowship collection, The Trial of Colonel Sweeto, is the kind of artist SPX has nurtured in recent years: two years ago, he won his first Ignatz for his online strip, and now his first book is an in-demand hardcover from Dark Horse. In the opposite corner of the room, Jeff Smith was signing copies of his much acclaimed fantasy series Bone andhis new hardcover collection of Shazam! (from DC) as a benefit for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. A regular of SPX's early years, Smith was returning to the show as a conquering hero, and his presence was responsible for a younger crowd than the show usually sees.

Attention to detail makes the horror of this psychological detective series creepier. It's not just that we see a prisoner hanged; it's that a panel is devoted to him soiling himself at the moment of death. That's prelude to finding out that a group of criminals, as well as the title detective, are all marked by barcodes on the whites of their eyes and all are being investigated by an execution-happy justice minister. The case this time around involves a supposedly dead mass murderer playing deadly pranks (in a style reminiscent of Batman's Joker). As the number of crimes mount, the detective attempts to rescue his partner from a tanker-truck bombing. The varied personalities and plots can be confusing, but those who've been carefully following the series since the start will find their attention rewarded. The book has the fast-paced action of a movie thriller, exploring the boundaries of the human mind through extreme actions. Panels are light on text and designed so skillfully that the reader can take in events as quickly as they can turn the page. Adult comics readers looking for a manga they can sink their teeth into will find it here. (Dec.)

Chinese comics and illustration artist Rain (Ru An) is one of the most popular comics artists in China today. Her ethereal watercolors were featured in a gallery alongside Korean manhwa artist Seeyeon Won's works during last May's Third China International Cartoon and Animation Festival in Hangzhou. Like Korean manhwa, Rain's illustrations play on the romance and whimsy of captured moments, infusing them with stylized yet subtle emotion.

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• Artemis Fowl Vol. 1 (Hyperion)
• Hanami International Love Story Vol. 2 (Dark Horse)
• Capes Vol. 1: Punching the Clock (Image)
• I, Otaku Vol. 1: Struggle in Akihabara (Seven Seas Entertainment)
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• White Rapids (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Vampire Kisses Blood Relatives Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
• Whiteout Vol. 2: Melt (Oni Press)
• Constellations in My Palm (Digital Manga Publishing)

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