Geek of Oz

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, although released in February, has been a sleeper favourite of mine. Partially for its fun and easy to read story but also because it is about Yokai ( 妖怪) ! Yokai are Japanese spirits/monsters/ghouls that can be as terrifying as a giant red-skinned monster or as confounding as a one-eyed umbrella. Knowledge of Yokai has slowly permeated the Western world with the release of "Yokai Attack!" by Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt, "The Great Yokai War" by Taskashi Miike and, of course, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan written and illustrated by Hiroshi Shiibashi. "While the day belongs to humans, the night belongs to yokai,  supernatural creatures that thrive on human fear. Caught between these  worlds is Rikuo Nura. He's three-quarters human, but his grandfather is  none other than Nurarihyon, the supreme commander of the Nura clan, a  powerful yokai consortium. So, Rikuo is an ordinary teenager three  quarters of the time, until his yokai...