Nausicaa Box Set - Hayao Miyazaki

This year saw many great graphic novel publications, but perhaps none so great as the deluxe two-volume hardcover box set of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki. Those of you who recognize the name Miyazaki no doubt know him as the director of the monumental animated films Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. As triumphant as those films may be, this graphic novel remains Miyazaki's magnum opus, completed long before he became a director. Nausicaa set the tone for themes most people now associate with Studio Ghibli: strong female characters, environmentalism, and the inherent destructive nature of mankind. Nausicaa is the closest thing comics has to The Lord of the Rings and should be experienced whether you're a fan of high fantasy or Studio Ghibli.