Blood Alone #4

Masayuki Takano's cover for *Blood Alone* Vol. 4 sets a quietly haunting tone — a young dark-haired girl in a pale dress stands close to a tall young man carrying a bag, the two of them paused together against a moody, rain-slicked blue night lit by glowing lanterns and a ghostly silhouetted figure in the background. The atmosphere Takano captures here is tender yet tinged with an unspoken unease, the kind of intimacy that feels both protective and precarious. If you've been following this series, this 2011 volume promises more of the bittersweet, atmospheric storytelling the series does so well.