Usagi Yojimbo #98

Rain-soaked and tense, this 2006 Dark Horse issue presents a masked, white-faced warrior squaring off against a hulking, grotesque creature in the mud — a dripping blade looming ominously overhead completing the atmospheric scene. Stan Sakai's cover work captures a real sense of dread and menace, with both figures locked in a standoff that feels anything but routine. "The Return of the Black Soul" is a title that promises the long-running series is still operating at full intensity as it approaches its hundredth issue.