Blade of the Immortal #30

Volume 30 of Hiroaki Samura's celebrated feudal-era saga carries a quietly striking cover: a young woman in a red kimono and a battle-worn ronin with a pipe between his teeth walk together beneath blossoming branches in falling snow, two figures in the background rounding out the sense of a group pressing onward. There's something almost melancholy in the composition — these are people who have been through a great deal, and the soft, wintry palette makes that weight feel very real. "Der finale Tanz, Teil 3" promises the story is deep into its endgame, making this 2013 Egmont edition a compelling chapter in one of manga's most visually distinctive samurai series.