Enid Coleslaw

Few characters in alternative comics feel as achingly real as Enid Coleslaw, Daniel Clowes's razor-tongued creation who first appeared in Fantagraphics' Ghost World in 1998. Born at the cusp of the Modern Age, she emerged from the underground-inflected world of literary comics that Fantagraphics championed, a universe away from capes and continuity. Her catalog footprint is small but choice — she keeps remarkably eclectic company, sharing pages with icons like Harvey Pekar and Scott Pilgrim across anniversary and library editions that celebrate the very best of indie comics. If you care about the comics that pushed the medium toward genuine literature, Enid is essential.