ダレン・シャン [Daren Shan] #10

Volume 10 of Shogakukan's manga adaptation of Darren Shan delivers a visually striking cover that layers two vivid scenes: a massive, stitched-together golem-like figure dominates the upper half alongside a young dark-haired character and a white tiger, while the lower half plunges into a fiery, skull-strewn underworld with a lone figure standing before the chaos. The subtitle 稲雲の湖 (Lake of Clouded Mist) hints at the eerie terrain awaiting within, and the juxtaposition of the hulking patchwork giant above and the hellish landscape below gives this volume an epic, foreboding sweep. Arai Takahiro's manga brings Darren Shan's original story to life with real visual ambition, and this installment looks like one of the series' most atmospheric entries yet.