Bakuman バクマン。 #18

Volume 18 of *Bakuman。* arrives with a cover that crackles with energy — a young woman in a patterned coat dominates the foreground, while behind her a dark-haired boy in a leather aviator jacket and goggles leaps forward clutching a tiny suited figure alongside a small stuffed animal, all set against a vivid yellow backdrop hinting at manga panels and drafting tools. 小畑健's linework balances the quiet intensity of the foreground portrait against the exuberant motion of the background figure with real finesse. Published by Shueisha under the Jump Comics imprint in 2012, this volume continues one of the era's most heartfelt manga-about-manga series.