Bakuman. #5

The fifth volume of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata's manga-about-manga brings the creative pressure front and center — the cover shows three characters crowded around a drawing desk, ink bottles and tools scattered about, reacting with wide-eyed intensity to a dramatic piece of artwork being held aloft. That charged, almost chaotic energy between the white-hooded figure pointing urgently, the wide-eyed curly-haired teen, and the imposing close-cropped man with a cigar perfectly captures the high-stakes world of aspiring manga artists. This 2011 French-language edition from Kana is a great entry point into one of the most compelling behind-the-scenes stories in the medium.