Monster: The Perfect Edition (2014)

Volumes 1 and 2 of the Perfect Edition (VIZ Media) Naoki Urasawa's thriller follows a Japanese surgeon in Germany whose life unravels after he crosses paths again with Johan Liebert, a former patient. VIZ's Perfect Edition pairs the original books two at a time across nine fat volumes, and the first runs past 400 pages. Two volumes in your bag is the right dose for one flight: the chase builds so steadily that you will reach for the second before the first meal is cleared. Urasawa's precise, cinematic pages read cleanly on a tablet. It won the Grand Prize of the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 1999. Manga reads right to left, so give it a few pages to settle.