Love As a Foreign Language
Oni Press. All written by J. Torres and drawn by Eric Kim.
Volume 1. [From Oni Press: Joel hates Korea. Why he agreed to teach there defies his comprehension. He can't wait to return to normal life. His year of teaching is almost over and then he'll finally be free. But Joel’s life is about to go from dark dreams to cotton candy kisses and it's all because of Hana. The very sight of this girl sends him flying straight to cloud nine, but won't another year in Korea send him crashing back down?] U-Decide Old Book of the Week 11/9/05: On the other hand, Millarworld also liked this charming, but not to everybody's taste, series about an American who on a whim takes a job teaching English in Korea, only to find that he hates it there. But just as his contract is about to expire, he meets a girl, and everything changes. People who don't like it cite the pace, which is indeed very, very slow (in the first three volumes, Joel and Hannah don't even get to a first date). But this is a very different style of storytelling than one usually sees in American comics, emphasizing character and setting above plot. It's a joy (if you're into that sort of thing) watching the relationship very gradually unfold, as Joel slowly and unwittingly begins to shake his stubborn resistance to Korean culture. If you haven't read Love yet, you might want to give it a try—and at $6 a pop every few months, if you get hooked it's a pretty cheap addiction. Volume 4 is out this week, but you'll want to start at the beginning. 
Volume 2. [From Oni Press: All of a sudden Korea is looking a lot better to Joel. Actually, that's a lie. Korea is still looking like a rotten, smelly place with weird people and weirder food. Hannah, the new receptionist at the school Joel teaches at, on the other hand, is looking mighty fine. But will the girl of Joel's dreams ever actually make it into his days or did he extend his stay in Asia for nothing?] 
Volume 3. [From Oni Press:It was a long cold winter on the Korean peninsula, but spring is finally here! The air is getting warmer. The birds are chirping. The flowers are in bloom. Could the winter of Joel's discontent finally be over? With Hannah working with him, things are definitely looking up!]
Volume 4. [From Oni Press: He’s crazy all right. Crazy about Hana, the school’s new secretary. But what’s the point of staying put if he can’t even muster up the courage to talk to his latest crush? Can Joel fall head over heels for Hana without rolling into all new depths of depression?] 
Volume 5. [From Oni Press: Time is running out for Joel. If he doesn¹t make a move on Hannah soon, he¹s going to lose his chance forever. But can he get over his Korean cultural hang-ups in time to make his play for the girl of his dreams?] 
Volume 6. [From Oni Press: Culture shock continues to dominate Joel’s love life. Here he is in South Korea, desperately trying to win the affections of the beautiful Hana. But can he ever have happiness if he isn’t able to assimilate to Korean culture? Will Joel be able to shed his western trappings and find happiness in his heart and Seoul?] 
Volume 1 (Collects series volumes 1-3). [From Oni Press: Joel hates Korea. Why he agreed to teach there is beyond his comprehension. He can't stand the crowded streets, he's sick of all the cheesy pop culture, and he can't wait to be back in a country where he has easy access to the North American comics he loves. The year of teaching he contracted for is almost over and he'll be free to finally wake up from this nightmare. But when it comes time for Joel to tender his resignation, his life goes from dark dreams to cotton candy kisses and it's all because of Hana, the new secretary at the school. The very sight of this girl sends him flying straight to cloud nine, but won't another year in Korea send him crashing back down into his own personal hell?] 
Volume 2 (Collects series volumes 4-6?). [From Oni Press: Joel hated Korea. He was ready to leave the almost alien culture, people, and food that had been tormenting him his entire teaching contract behind him! All that changed when he met Hana -- the girl of Joel's dreams. But when Joel starts to wake up from his dream, will Hana be enough to keep him in the Korean life set? Or will he be on the first jet back to North America?] 