KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 — What do supernatural pets, the Wizard of Oz and a professional criminal have in common? The answer: these are the leading characters in three titles that have just won the Eisner Award, and are highly-recommended reads.

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Award is a series of prizes given to outstanding comics and creators in the American comics industry. It is usually given during a Comic-Con International event, and this year it was presented during the San Diego Comic-Con. This year's winners include The Walking Dead, Chew and Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe, all three titles that I have often raved about, either in this section or in real life, and you should be reading them by now. There are, however, another three titles that might have missed the attention of readers, and you had better pick them up now!

Best Publication for Teens, Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

Beasts of Burden by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson (Dark Horse Comics)

There are few comics of anthromorphic animals that really work. There are the stellar WE3, Pride of Baghdad and Mice Templar, and there is the corny Pet Avengers. Beasts of Burden belongs in the former, and it might be the best in its class.

A beast of burden is an animal that labours for the benefit of man, whether as a pack animal or carriage puller. In this limited series, the beasts are those living in Burden Hill, hence the Beasts of Burden. However, aside from that the beasts are indeed carrying the burden of man, for this group of lovable dogs — and a stubborn cat — are guarding Burden Hill against the threat of the supernatural.

The concepts in Beasts of Burden started in four short stories published in four compilations The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings, Book of Monsters, Book of the Dead and Book of Witchcraft. The group of pets — tough husky Ace, cowardly Doberman Rex, level-headed beagle Red, youthful terrier Whitey, grumpy bulldog Pugs and nonchalant tabby The Orphan — first banded together to exorcise a ghost from one of the kennels, under the tutelage of Wise Dogs, elders who are proficient in magic.

Don't be fooled by the Teen award: this series of four books is full of spookiness, weirdness and death. It is definitely one of the best horror comics around, a genre publisher Dark Horse is famous for. They face deadly aggregate demons in the form of frogs, sinister ghosts of dead puppies, abominable rat colonies and zombies. When you have finished reading all four books, you will be wishing there are more, and you will be dreading that sleep in the darkness...

Best Limited Series or Story Arc, Best Publication for Kids

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young (Marvel Publishing)

Many people forget that Dorothy's slippers are not actually ruby, but originally silver, and the Witches of the North and South are two different people. After being so accustomed to Disney's 1939 adaptation of the story starring Judy Garland, it might seem surprising to many that the original book is much more wonderful.

By now you should be familiar with this story: young girl Dorothy got flown from Kansas by way of a tornado, and her house landed on the Wicked Witch of the East, killing her. She must now travel to see the Wizard of Oz to return home, and in the journey joined by The Scarecrow who wanted a brain, The Tin Man who wanted a heart and The Lion who wanted courage. The Wizard refuses to grant their wishes until the bunch kill the Wicked Witch of the West.

In eight books, Shanower and Young have created an adaptation that sets it apart from numerous others. If you only watched the Judy Garland film, expect many surprises as Shanower stayed faithful to the original story, even using the original dialogue and narrative at times. It is a gleeful journey of completing quests, only to realise that they have many more obstacles ahead of them. It does not matter, for in between the group getting closer, readers will realise that what the scarecrow, tin man and lion wanted are all already in their hands.

The art by Skottie Young has to be the best he has ever done in his career. His character designs are excellently thought out, and instantly recognisable, even as the characters change in some way or other in the course of the story. The world of Oz was recreated meticulously, especially the Emerald City, and with little details that you will discover as you read the books over and over again.

Best Adaptation from Another Work

Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW Publishing)

One thing Darwyn Cooke is known for is drawing in a certain fashion reminiscent of the olden days. His art fits well in nostalgia titles like DC: The New Frontier. Another genre perfectly suited for him is noir and crime, something he did in The Spirit, and continues to excel in with this title.

The Hunter is an adaptation of the crime novel by Donald E. Westlake, under his pseudonym Richard Stark. It stars a main character who is only known as Parker, professional criminal. In Hunter, Parker has just been betrayed by his wife and his partner, losing thousands of dollars in the process. Being thought dead, Parker returns in a clinical fashion to go up the chain of information and wreak revenge on his betrayers.

Cooke's art gives us that sense of time; the comics reads and looks like it happened in those rough and tumble noir days, where men are tough, and the dames are beautiful. The story does not pay any attention to political correctness, and in doing so, serves as a great narrative for an authentic crime story.Cooke's composition is great, alternating between a spread that reads like a novel, to quick action shots. The first few pages in the story, for example, was silent, with just a clever juxtaposition of image.

All in all, an excellent crime caper.