Blade of the Immortal #79

Hiroaki Samura's pencil-toned cover for issue #79 presents a quietly commanding portrait: a shaven-headed elder figure stands behind a seated young woman in traditional Japanese robes, his hand resting on what appears to be a sword hilt, their expressions carrying equal measures of resolve and unease. The restrained, almost monochromatic rendering gives the image a haunting stillness that sets it apart from more action-driven entries in the series. Dark Horse's manga line continues to be a worthy home for Samura's distinctively cinematic sensibility.