Blade of the Immortal #16

Hiroaki Samura's *Blade of the Immortal* has always balanced brutal action with quietly haunting imagery, and the "Shortcut" volume delivers that tension right on its cover. A young woman with wide, startled eyes stares out at the reader, her arms bound tightly with cord against a vivid backdrop of deep orange and blooming purple flowers — an arresting image that feels both delicate and deeply unsettling. It's the kind of cover that stops you cold, a reminder of why Samura's artistry made this series one of Dark Horse's most compelling manga offerings of 2006.