A relatively newer series, starting in 2004, D. Gray-Man is the work of Katsura Hoshino, a mysterious mangaka (you guessed it--manga creator) whom may or may not be a woman, depending on which fans you ask. Published in the ever popular Weekly Shonen Jump, it has a very different feel to it compared to many of the other series that fill the magazine's newspapery pages. Decidedly gothic and emo in feel, it's the story of Allen Walker in an alternate 19th century filled with demons. Everything has a spooky and dark European feel, with many homages to traditional horror, but it also has a hipster feel--all of the character have stylish haircuts and sexy outfits, whether they are dark coats and suits or little pleated skirts. Imagine X-Files meets Bram Stoker meets Vivienne Westwood.

Allen is an exorcist, but not in the way that you're used to. In this world, an evil being called the Millenium Earl pulls the strings by commanding his hordes of "akuma," demon weapons designed to destroy mankind. Akuma are created by preying on human weakness: when someone close to a person dies and that person wishes more than anything for their loved one to be alive again, the Earl finds them and promises that he can bring them back--what he doesn't say is that their revived form is under his control, and his first command is to kill the person who wished for their loved one's return and to use their body as a "skin" and walk around among humans, hunting. D. Gray-Man is very mature compared to many of the manga found in Shonen Jump Weekly. The story is full of tragedy, violence, and an awful lot of blood.

Allen's tool against the demon horde is his left hand, which is possessed by something called "Innocence," the antidote to demon's attacks. His story, as many of the exorcists, is one of tragedy, and throughout the story it becomes apparent that there is even more to Allen than that which we do know. There's a great cast of characters in D. Gray-Man. Lord knows what the title refers to, but most of the characters have references in their names. Alan Walker was a well known British evangelist and theologian. Arystar Krory, a vampire whose teeth are an anti-akuma weapon, is named after the renowned and very real black magician Alistair Crowley. And the arch-villains Road Kamelot (a creepy little girl that likes sweets and "playing" with Allen) and Tykki Mikk (a sexy and dashing man who lives to kill and also loves his life as a regular human) are named after jewelry lines.

Currently being published by Viz's Shonen Jump Advanced line, Volume 6 just came out, with 11 volumes available in Japan and over 140 chapters and counting. Its a great story if you're into deadly battles between good and evil, the sacrifices one must make to defend others, and traditional horror with occult references. I'm a huge fan, but then, you already knew that. Go out and read it!