Blade of the Immortal, Vol. 27
Mist on the Spider’s Web
Trade Paperback
Written and Art by Hiroaki Samura
Translation by Kumar Sivasubramanian
Lettered by Tomoko Saito
Cover by Hiroaki Samura
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: September 11, 2013
Cover Price: $19.99

This volume of the translated long-running manga series Blade of the Immortal follows the cursed fallen samurai Manji continuing on his quest to end his immortality by killing a thousand evil men. Picking up after a bloody battle that left Anotsu’s Ittō-ryÅ« exhausted and injured, they are on the run from the Rokki-Dan who are hunting them down.

Beautifully drawn, the detailing in Blade of the Immortal, Vol. 27 is exquisite. Incredibly realistic, Samura’s styles allows the reader to feel the environment through the art. The faces are so expressively drawn that it allows the emotions the characters are feeling to come through.

The story is wonderful, but not something a reader can just pick up and follow. This is obviously a long-running series and the characters and their relationships have long ago been developed. This can make it a little hard for someone new to the series, but is definitely rewarding for a fan. As the series is winding down, they are spaced far enough apart to allow a reader to catch up.

This is a series worth collecting. Easily re-readable and so beautiful to look at, it is a series that can easily be a staple on anyone’s bookshelves.