Mai, the Psychic Girl

In the late 1980s, Eclipse and Viz brought this 28-issue manga-influenced thriller to American readers, blending espionage and psychic warfare. Co-written by Kazuya Kudo and Satoru Fujii, with translations by James D. Hudnall and striking art by Ryoichi Ikegami, it follows a young woman with devastating mental powers on the run from a shadowy agency. A landmark early crossover between Japanese and American comics, it helped introduce mature, cinematic storytelling to the direct market.