As Rohan, a young Japanese manga artist, is drawing, he meets a mysterious, beautiful woman who tells him of a cursed 200-year-old painting. The painting was created using the blackest ink ever known, which came from a 1,000-year-old tree that the painter had cut down without the approval of the Emperor. The painter was executed for this, but the painting was saved from destruction by a curator of the Louvre. A decade later, Rohan visits Paris and asks the museum to unearth the painting from deep within its archives—but he is completely unprepared for the power of the curse he has unleashed. (Source: NBM Publishing)

In Chinese, ‘Mijeong’ means ‘pure beauty.’ In the cold city, young people’s lives cross and spark for brief moments in this remarkably drawn graphic novel; Wounded characters, squashed by the daily hard realities of urban living whose destinies take sudden unannounced turns but their inner flames shine bright and wild, even for a brief time. This engrossing collection of stories will transfix and move you deeply. *Source: NBM*

Little Bong-Gu and his mother come from their island home to Seoul to find his father, in the capital to make money but unheard from during the past six months. On the subway, they see an old beggar, who later joins the little girl Bong-Gu plays with while mother uses the phone.

From Korea comes a collection of incisive observant short stories by a leading artist. Reading these thirteen exceptional stories is an experience similar to appreciating a touching poem or watching a series of stills from a silent movie. Combining the traits of different artistic genres, O has indeed created his own world of comic art. While eloquently presenting a universal human experience, O also brings a delightful and exotic insight into Korean society. Whereas Manwa (Korean comics) can be much more than we expect... For mature readers. (Source: NBM Publishing)

Acclaimed manga artist Jiro Taniguchi provides the latest entry in the Louvre collection of graphic novels. After a group trip to Europe, a Japanese artist stops in Paris alone, intent on visiting the museums of the capital. But, bedridden in his hotel room with fever, he faces the absolute solitude of one suffering in a foreign land, deprived of any immediate or familiar recourse. When the fever breaks somewhat, he sets out on his visit and promptly gets lost in the crowded halls of the Louvre. Very soon, he discovers many unsuspected facets to this world in a museum in a journey oscillating between feverish hallucination and reality, actually able to speak with famous painters from various periods of history, led to crossroads between human and personal history by... the Guardians of the Louvre. (Source: Potent Mon)

A little girl picks up a puppy abandoned in a cardboard box and takes it home. As the years pass, the father of the family forms a strong bond with the dog as his wife and daughter drift away from him. Faced with a divorce, he puts a few cardboard boxes and the dog in his car and drives south to see the sea.

Lee, living in Hong Kong, meets Matt - a fine young Englishman. Their relationship becomes stronger by the day, despite their deep cultural differences. But there is Lee's dad to contend with, who views the affair very suspiciously. And there is another contender for Lee's heart - a young Chinese man whose jealousy takes on twinges of xenophobia. Will Lee and Matt's relationship successfully cross the cultural divide and overcome the negative odds? Two worlds collide, creating sparks both good and bad.