Blade of the Immortal #109

Hiroaki Samura's celebrated samurai manga continues with issue #109, part three of the "Shortcut" arc from Dark Horse. Against a striking crimson background, a grim swordsman dominates the foreground with blade in hand, while behind him stand three more fighters — a young woman wielding daggers, an older bald man with a chain weapon, and a youth in a patterned headscarf — suggesting a tense and complicated alliance. A pin-up by Dustin Nguyen rounds out the package, making this a satisfying chapter for longtime fans of Samura's beautifully rendered feudal-era world.