Blade of the Immortal #1

Dark Horse brought Hiroaki Samura's celebrated manga series to North American readers in 1996 with this opening chapter, subtitled "Criminal." The cover, rendered entirely by Samura, captures a lean, intense swordsman mid-crouch — cloth wrappings trailing behind him, a long blade held at the ready — against a muted background of dragonfly motifs that gives the image an elegantly restrained aesthetic. Forty ad-free pages make this a generous introduction to what promises to be a gripping, beautifully drawn samurai saga.