Blade of the Immortal #16

Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal continues its "Dreamsong" arc with this fifth-of-seven installment from Dark Horse Manga. The cover draws the eye downward along a dizzying diagonal — a determined swordsman lunges across what appears to be a rooftop stairway or slanted surface, blade in hand, while above him a sandaled foot hints at another presence looming just out of reach, with small crimson spatters adding quiet tension to the composition. Samura's painterly cover work gives the whole scene an almost cinematic gravity that makes this series one of the standout manga titles of its era.