House of Five Leaves #8

Two figures — a pale, angular man in dark robes with a katana at his side and a second figure half-shadowed behind him — face opposite directions against a spare, atmospheric background of scattered red leaves, perfectly capturing the series' mood of quiet unease. Natsume Ono's stark black-and-white linework, accented by those few touches of red, gives this final volume of House of Five Leaves an elegance that feels entirely its own. Fans of this brooding Edo-period drama will find the cover alone a fitting reflection of everything that makes the series so distinctive.