Pokemon Graphic Novel Series by Toshihiro Ono, Satoshi Tajiri

When something begins gnawing on the wiring in his house, ten-year-old Ash Ketchum discovers his first Pokmon: Pikachu. Ash sets out to become the world's greatest Pokmon trainer, and to do so, he and Pikachu must brave a series of adventures. For newcomers and old pros alike, the comic helps explain the complex world of Pokmon.

The entire four-issue miniseries Pikachu Shocks Back, collected in this graphic novel, stars favorite characters from the Pokemon TV series - Ash, Misty, Brock, and clumsy Team Rocket. Ash wins a race against dozens of other trainers, and then helps Mikey, another Pokemon trainer, prove his pet's worth. Pikachu wanders off to find the legendary Pokemon Paradise, and Ash must decide whether to let Pikachu return to its own kind.

-- Each volume collects an entire four-issue miniseries

In a series of zany adventures, Ash and Pikachu battle tropical seas and wild jungles while they help protect the Orange Islands from a hungry Snorlax.