I do not normally link to the Amazon page for buying books, but I do think it worth promoting Boxers and Saints (not just because Gene and I shared a panel, and coffee, last year at a conference).  it is a tremendously compelling graphic novel, complex and entertaining at the same time.  Lots of sly humor intrudes into the tale of horrific violence of the Boxer uprising of 1898 China.

The two books overlap; not necessarily in expected ways.  I read Boxers first, and was delightfully surprised by the ending of Saints.

My kids (15 and 10) LOVED this set.  They read them both instantly… gobbled them up.  They noticed plenty of technique… a graphic novel is an excellent way to build that awareness and appreciation of craft.  They both enjoyed grappling with the moral/ethical/historical problem at the heart of the novel.