I absolutely worship the DeathNote series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Does anyone have any recommendations or do either Obata or Ohba have any other series they have worked on? Basically, I'm looking for something with a strong plot, intellectual, and great artwork.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Are you looking for something "like" Deathnote? Or just something that other Deathnote fans also enjoy?  If the first, you are out of luck; Deathnote is a HARD act to follow.

I adore Deathnote. I also like "Oh my Goddess", "Kare Kano" and "Yotsuba!&". You're mileage might vary. Tell us what else you've enjoyed and that helps us out in our suggestions...

Planet Ladder.

"Planet Ladder" tells the story of Kaguya, a girl who was found orphaned at a young age with no memories of her past except for a chilling vision concerning her and a nameless young boy. She tries to blend in with her new life and family, but her low self-esteem hinders her from feeling at all useful. Her life starts to fall apart when her father is charged with bribery, but things really start to get out of hand when mysterious beings appear before her, apparently wanting her for some obscure reason. It's currently out of print but you can still find it on paperback swap.

Saint Tale.

School girl Meimi Haneoka transforms into the mysterious thief Saint Tail, and steals back what was stolen or taken dishonestly. She's assisted by a classmate and sister-in-training, Seira Mimori, whose position in the church after school each day allows her to hear the troubles of those who have been wronged and have come to pray to God. But her classmate Asuka jr. has been given the task of capturing Saint Tale!

I LOVE Saint Tail!  I was sad when the books went out of print, they're a little hard to track down now. 

Death Note is one of the best manga I've read, as stated by someone else - it's a very hard act to follow.  Takeshi Obata illustrated Death Note.  He also worked on Hikaru No Go which I recommend, although it is not nearly so suspenseful as Death Note.  (Author of Hikaru No Go, which is about a young boy developing his skills in the strategy board game of Go with the assistance of a long-dead spirit, is Yumi Hotta.)

Death Note team of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata are working together again on the series Bakuman, which I haven't read yet.  It follows the story of two boys in 9th grade who wish to be mangaka (manga artists).

Other manga that have interesting story lines that I've liked include:

Full Metal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa (not the same storyline as the original anime) about two brothers who have had their bodies altered by an alchemy mishap who are in search of a way to restore themselves.

Fruits Basket by  Natsuki Takaya about a young orphaned girl who finds out about the secret curse of the Sohma family - they turn into Zodiac animals if hugged by a member of the opposite gender.

Berserk by Kentarou Miura about a swordsman traveling the world in the company of an elf, who is out for revenge against the demon who marked him. (Note: This has violence and nudity.)

I'm also enjoying Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto, about a young ninja boy and his friends, coming of age.

Recommended to me often are: Monster by Naoki Urasawa.  This is often highly rated, although I myself didn't much care for this series.  It's about a doctor who utterly changes his own life as a result of saving the life of a boy, who may just be as evil as the Devil himself. (Note: another violent and bloody manga.)

Here's my list of recommendations from someone who read Death Note for his first Manga and absolutely loved it.  These are some of my faves (I cut and pasted the blurbs from the various publishers):

Zombie-Loan - "Michiru Kita?s a weak-spirited girl who has a hard time saying what?s on her mind. One day, she notices mysterious, ring-like markings around the necks of two of her classmates, Chika Akatsuki and Shito Tachibana ? two boys who miraculously survived a horrible accident six months before. Michiru, possessing the rare ability to see these rings, knows that they warn of impending death. Thinking that, perhaps, she can do something to save her classmates? lives, she approaches them?but it seems the boys have already made a different kind of deal and garnered themselves a heavy debt."

Jack Frost - "Any high schooler on a nerve-wracking first day at a new school is apt to lose his or her head a little, but in Noh-A?s case, she literally does! When she wakes up in one piece with a little help from a mysterious doctor, Noh-A quickly realizes that nothing is as it seems at Amityville High, where paranormal creatures battle for supremacy. Caught in the crossfire, Noh-A may have to rely on the unlikely (and possibly unreliable) aid of the most sinister student at Amityville?the deadly Jack Frost!"

Hellsing - "There's a secret organization somewhere in England created to defend the Queen and country from monsters of all sorts. Yes, it's hard to believe in this day and age....but really, isn't this the true age of monsters? Enter Hellsing, an agency, long in tooth, with the experience, know-how, and...er...equipment to handle the problems that arise when vampires, ghouls take on these dark forces. "What equipment?" you may say. How about another vampire, and a big pistol loaded with special silver bullets? That oughta do the trick. Hellsing the long-awaited manga is finally in America, thanks to Dark Horse Comics and the folks at Digital Manga, and you're gonna love it."

D.Gray-Man - "Set in a fictional end of the 19th century England, the story revolves around a teenage boy named Allen Walker who is cursed with a cross mark on his hand that turns his arm into an enormous weapon, which he uses to hunt down and kill akumas. An akuma, generated by a 1,000-year-old phantom, is implanted into a human's soul during a moment of devastation and despair. The phantom uses the demons to then carry out his goal: destroy all humankind."

Monster (This is pure murder mystery.  Well done though and completely suspensful) - Brilliant doctor Kenzo Temma risks his reputation and promising career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy. Unbeknownst to him, the child is destined for a terrible fate. Conspiracies, serial murders, and a scathing depiction of the underbelly of hospital politics are all masterfully woven together in this compelling manga thriller.

Soul Eater - "Maka is a weapon meister, determined to turn her partner, a living scythe named Soul Eater, into a powerful death scythe ? the ultimate weapon of Death himself! Charged with the task of collecting and devouring the tainted souls of ninety-nine humans and one witch, Maka and her fellow meisters strive to master their weapons as they face off against the bizarre and dangerous minions of the underworld. But the meisters? own personal quirks may prove a bigger obstacle than any sultry enchantress!"

Future Diary - "Yukiteru may be an ordinary student--he doesn't stand out and classmates ignore him. And his only hobby is the daily diary he keeps on his cell phone. But Yukiteru has a secret that nobody knows about... And vicious game of survival is about to begin among twelve diary holders--with the winner crowned god of a new world! Sakae Esuno's chilling shonen masterpiece is a relentless adventure that will have you questioning the boundaries of time and space--and hoping for the slightest glimmer of hope in a dark, desolate world that may look surprisingly familiar to all of us... "

Deadman Wonderland - "Ten years have passed since the Great Tokyo Earthquake, and the people's memories of the disaster have faded. Ganta Igarashi, a middle school evacuee, has finally begun to live a normal life...That is, until the day "Red Man" appears at his school and Ganta's fate is changed forever. His entire class is brutally murdered, and although innocent of the crime, Ganta is sentenced to death and sent to the bizarre prison known as "Deadman Wonderland." An insane and brutal game of prison survival begins"

That's a good start :).
 

I enjoyed Death Note, but not to the level other folks did.

My favorite manga is probably Usagi Yojimbo and Kenshin.   The latter I think is a better comparison to Death Note because there is more of a plot going through the entire series, while Usagi is more short story like.

I'm also much enjoying Vampire Game (Though the lead took a bit to grow on me), but I can't find one last book (may just go buy it) so I don't know how strong the ending is going to be.

Hey Maria,  did you start reading anything?  If so, what did you like?

I haven't finished it yet, but am reading After School Nightmare by Setona Mizushiro and am enjoying it.  I want to see how this one ends up...

Description: You have just awakened to find your darkest, ugliest secret revealed to classmates who would do anything to destroy you. This is what's happened to Ichijou Mashiro, whose elite school education turns into the most horrifying experience of his life when he's enlisted by a mysterious school nurse to take an after-hours class. Only those who pass the class will graduate, and the only way for Mashiro to pass is to enter into a nightmare world... where his body and soul will be at the mercy of his worst enemies. Can Mashiro keep his life-long secret - that he is not truly a "he" nor entirely a "she" - or will he finally be "outted" in the most humiliating way possible?