Blade of the Immortal (1996) comic books 2000-2002

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Heart of Darkness: Part 7 of 8 - Story and art by Hiroaki Samura. Rin has never trusted Shira, and she was right. Now the sadistic madness hovering just below the surface of the Akagi assassin has exploded. This isn't Bushido, it's butchery. And Rin learns too late that there are some ways of being strong better left unlearned. 32 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $2.95.

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Heart of Darkness: Part 8 of 8 - Story and art by Hiroaki Samura. The plot to ambush Kagehisa Anotsu is going up in flames. Hyakurin and Shinriji have found the Itto-ryu group they were following to be decoys, too. Shira's pursuit has turned into a gory splatter movie, and when Rin tries to stop Shira from further torturing the woman decoy who had deceived them both, the blood-crazed killer turns his sword against her. 32 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $3.50.

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The Gathering: Part 1 of 15 - Story and art by Hiroaki Samura. Hyakurin's plan to ambush Kagehisa Anotsu has failed. Rin and Manji have lost their chance for vengeance, too. Manji tells Hyakurin their alliance is over. But now, how to get through the government Sekisho checkpoints that control the roads out of Edo? It's hard enough for anyone to do it, but for Manji, one of the most wanted men in Japan, it's well- nigh impossible. Which is why Rin is writing that note to leave by Manji's pillow while he sleeps... 32 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $2.95.

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The Gathering: Part 2 of 15 - Story and art by Hiroaki Samura. A desperate Manji faces a brutal choice: storm the government checkpoint by force to pursue Rin, or leave her to face Anotsu Kagehisa . . . alone. And Rin, alone on her road to revenge for the first time since meeting Manji, has just been named as an accomplice in a savage murder! How is she going to get through the checkpoints when she's on the list of Japan's most wanted criminals?! 32 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $2.95.

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The Gathering: Part 3 of 15 - Story and art by Hiroaki Samura. Rin's on the wanted list! She has only one hope of getting through the checkpoint out of Edo: something so dangerous, a single mistake could cost Rin her life! Meanwhile, Akagi's spy inside the Itto-ryu has gotten a look at another secret document he can report on. But the head of the sword school has seen through Makoto's cover and is using him to feed misinformation to the Akagi assassins! 32 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $2.95.

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The Gathering: Part 4 of 15 - Story and art by Hiroaki Samura. Hyakurin has a present for Manji: because of a letter forged by her men, Ittö-ryü is going to send a swordsman to join Anotsu in Kaga. If Manji is tough enough, he can kill the man, take his travel papers, and go after Rin. It's a high-stakes game they're playing, but maybe not as high-stakes as Rin's new gamble... 32 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $2.95.

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The Gathering: Part 5 of 15 - Story and art by Hiroaki Samura. Kami-nagafusa: a non-descript rural village. The only thing that sets it apart from other hamlets is its neighbor, a critical checkpoint for leaving Edo. This is the village Rin has come to, following the thin thread of her last hope for pursuing Anotsu to Kaga -- and now, just as urgent, to escape the long arm of the law that has unjustly accused her of murder! 32 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $2.95.

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The Gathering: Part 6 of 15 - Story and art by Hiroaki Samura. After receiving an intelligence report from the beautiful and mysterious Mugai-ryü assassin Hyakurin, Manji waits by a roadside shrine to ambush an Ittö-ryü swordsman who carries a travel pass that could allow Manji through border checkpoints to catch up with his companion Rin before she rushes to her death. But three of Ittö-ryü's deadliest warriors are coming, with orders to put to death the ronin who has been killing their comrades. Can even the immortal Manji survive? 32 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $2.95.

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The Gathering: Part 7 of 15 - Story and art by Hiroaki Samura. Makoto, the Akagi spy inside the renegade Ittö-ryü sword school, has found out too late that acting leader Abiyama set a deadly trap for Manji. But there's no need to tell the immortal ronin: he's already fighting for his life against three Ittö-ryü swordsmen, all masters of dirty fighting. Only one sits out the fight, to watch and find out if the rumors about the ronin's immortality are true and to end those rumors -- and Manji -- once and for all! 32 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $2.95.

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The Gathering: Part 8 of 15 - Story and art by Hiroaki Samura. Blade of the Immortal reaches its landmark 50th issue with a new chapter of "The Gathering"! Ittö-ryü swordsmen, masters of dirty fighting, have strung Manji up in a tree with barbed spikes! Handa and Uruma are more than ready to find out just how immortal Manji is -- by chopping him into little pieces! With his body pierced by Uruma's spikes, and two trained assassins ready to use every trick in the book to kill him, matters couldn't get much worse. All the samurai has to save him is his ingenuity and the supernatural bloodworms that keep him alive. But this time, will he have a body left for the worms to knit back together...? 32 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $2.99.

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The Gathering: Part 9 of 15 - Story and art by Hiroaki Samura. Immortal samurai Manji has freed himself from Uruma's barbed chains by cutting off his own arm! His survivor's instincts tell him that, in this case, the better part of valor is to run for it, and hope he can turn the tide and make a stand deeper in the forest. But as his cunning pursuers, Uruma and Hanada, follow him, Manji has nothing to rely on other than his injured, tired body. Will Manji be able to match his skills with his desire for an eye for an eye...and an arm for an arm?! 32 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $2.99.

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The Gathering: Part 10 of 15 - Story and art by Hiroaki Samura. With two enemies down, an exhausted, one-armed Manji faces his most dangerous enemy yet: the two-bladed juggernaut, Higa. There are only three things that Higa wants to do with Manji: carve out his heart and eat it, wring the blood from his body and drink it, and crack his skull to consume his brain. Higa desires an immortal body like Manji's, and he'll do anything to get one of his own. Masterful samurai action in one of the best series ever from Japan...or anywhere in the world! 32 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $2.99.

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The Gathering: Part 11 of 15 - Story and art by Hiroaki Samura. The immortal ronin Manji is in bad shape, thanks to the master swordsman Higa, who will stop at nothing to learn Manji's secret to eternal life! Even if Manji's allies, the beautiful and deadly Hyakurin and her assistant Shinriji, can arrive in time to save him, will they be able to save themselves from this seemingly unstoppable foe? Plus, the return of an old friend or is he a friend?? The Gathering gears up towards its big finale don't miss out on a single chapter of one of Japan's and the world's best comics series! Eisner Award winner for Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material 32 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $2.99.

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The Gathering: Part 12 of 15 - Story and art by Hiroaki Samura. Manji, the immortal ronin warrior, is down for the count! Hyakurin and Shinriji are off to get help for Manji...or what's left of him! Manji would be even more frustrated if he knew that, not too many miles away, Rin is preparing to test the scrutiny of the Kobotoke checkpoint to hunt down her parents' murderer. She wouldn't stand a chance in hell getting through the checkpoint on her own, but she may just have an unexpected ally... 32 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $2.99.

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The Gathering: Part 13 of 15 - Story and art by Hiroaki Samura. In a moment of truth, Rin and Nakaya, the innkeeper, venture at last into the Kobotoke checkpoint, where Rin hopes to gain safe passage into the neighboring region by posing as Nakaya's niece. The guards greet Nakaya like an old friend, but the checkpoint officials are the ones they need to convince...and they're the same people that sentenced Nakaya's last "long-lost relative" to a horrible death! Will Rin be able to continue her journey of revenge? 32 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $2.99.

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The Gathering: Part 14 of 15 - Story and art by Hiroaki Samura. Just a few questions. That's all the top official of the checkpoint wants to ask Rin before letting her continue on the road to Kaga. But Rin's pretending to be someone else to get through the checkpoint, and if she answers even one question wrong, her disguise will be destroyed, and an executioner's sword will slice through her neck! Can she fake out the head of the Kobotoke sekisho checkpoint when he has an inch-thick secret file about the innkeeper's family at his side...? 32 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $2.99.

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The Gathering: Part 15 of 15 - Story and art by Hiroaki Samura. "The Gathering" concludes with this powerful, gripping chapter! Rin has almost won her way through the checkpoint with her tear-filled story of the death of the parents of the mother she's pretending to be. But as she and Nakaya prepare to leave, the head of the checkpoint has one last question: how could a young woman like herself really have given birth to two children? Before he'll believe her, he wants her to show him the proof, written on her body! If she's caught, it's death for the both of them. How can Rin prove that she's given birth with such a child-like body? Be ready to ride the edge of your seat in the latest issue of this Eisner Award-winning series! 32 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $2.99.

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BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #58: SECRETS PART 1 (OF 4) by HIROAKI SAMURA; produced by STUDIO PROTEUS A new story arc begins for the Eisner Award-winning series! Anotsu Kagehisa's long journey has brought him to the wooded hills of autumn, to the gates of the Ibane dojo of the Shingyoto-ryu sword school, and to a world of doubts. First there's the beautiful young woman in the woods who seems to speak in riddles. And then the man he's come to see, Ibane himself, is nowhere to be found. What the head of Itto-ryu does find, though, is a dojo full of angry sword students who don't want to take orders from an upstart from Edo, and demand that he prove himself worthy to lead them. At the point of a sword! FOR MATURE READERS On sale July 11 b&w, 32pg (1 of 4) Cover price $2.99.

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BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #59: SECRETS PART 2 (OF 4) by HIROAKI SAMURA; produced by STUDIO PROTEUS Anotsu Kagehisa came to Kaga to bring another sword school under his wing. But now the shoe is on the other foot ? instead of finding a welcome, he's found a dojo full of angry young men who don't want to take orders from an upstart, unless he can prove he's tougher than the best of them! Anotsu's long road to Kaga ends in an unexpected battle to the death, with a furious swordfighter who moves as fast as lightning! Nominated for a 2001 Harvey Award for "Best Presentation of Foreign Material"! FOR MATURE READERS On sale August 8 b&w, 32pg (2 of 4) Cover price $2.99.

by HIROAKI SAMURA; produced by STUDIO PROTEUS High in the mountains of Kaga, Ibane of the Shingyoto School has been training his students for war. That sits just fine with Anotsu Kagehisa, who has dedicated his life to putting the killing back into Japan's formalized sword schools. But there has to be more at stake than philosophy for Ibane to be willing to disband the Shingyoto founded by his forebearers and turn it over lock, stock, and barrel to Anotsu's Itto-ryu school. Is Anotsu willing to meet his conditions? FOR MATURE READERS On sale September 12 b&w, 32pg (3 of 4) Cover price $2.99.

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by HIROAKI SAMURA; produced by STUDIO PROTEUS It could be any peaceful morning in Edo. The beautiful Hyakurin's taking care of her hair in the bath; her assistant Shinriji's trying to sneak a peek. But this isn't a casual visit the pair is preparing for. They're off to see Master Sori the painter and his special houseguest ? the horribly mutilated immortal samurai, Manji. So far, he hasn't regained consciousness. But will Hyakurin be ready for his first words when he does...? FOR MATURE READERS On sale October 10 b&w, 32pg (4 of 4) . . . $2.99 Cover price $2.99.

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by HIROAKI SAMURA; produced by STUDIO PROTEUS Hyakurin's gone, and that's perfect for the recovering Manji. He's been waiting for a chance to ask Master Sori an important question ? where did Sori, a spy for the Shogunate, meet the blonde killer in the first place? And what's the real story about Hyakurin's Mugai-ryu assassins? Some curious light is shed at last on this mystery lady... FOR MATURE READERS On sale November 14 b&w, 32pg (one-shot) . . . $2.99 Cover price $2.99.

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by HIROAKI SAMURA; produced by STUDIO PROTEUS Anotsu's trip to Kaga has taken an unexpected and unpleasant turn. Ibane, the head of the Shingyoto-ryu sword school, may be a master martial artist ? but it's becoming increasingly clear that he has some trouble with telling the truth. Anotsu can't deny that Ibane's men are worth adding to his Itto-ryu gang, and that Ibane's daughter Hisoka holds a strange, seductive attraction... FOR MATURE READERS On sale December 12 b&w, 32pg (one-shot) . . . $2.99 Cover price $2.99.

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by HIROAKI SAMURA; produced by STUDIO PROTEUS The recovering Manji isn't what you'd call a good houseguest. Master Sori wouldn't even keep him in his house if he wasn't Rin's bodyguard and protector. But things could get much worse when another guest arrives ? the young, wandering swordsman named Magatsu! Can anything stop Manji and Magatsu from chopping each other to bits?! Find out as the multiple-award-nominated samurai action-drama continues! MATURE READERS On sale January 9 b&w, 32pg (1 of 2) . . . $2.99 Cover price $2.99.

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by HIROAKI SAMURA; produced by STUDIO PROTEUS Having made it through the stressful Sekisho, Rin must decide how to proceed. Should she follow Anotsu to Kaga? And where in Kaga? And so, hoarding her money, she strikes out across Japan alone, a dangerous prospect. Can she trust the "kindness" of others? Meanwhile, Manji is making shifty deals on his own with the fabulous Magatsu, if he can restrain himself from getting in a duel with the estranged Ittö-ryü bad boy. Each divergent path has a drama of its own in the continuing, award-winning saga that is Blade of the Immortal. FOR MATURE READERS On sale February 13 b&w, 40pg (2 of 2) . . . $3.50 Cover price $3.50.

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by HIROAKI SAMURA; produced by STUDIO PROTEUS As you sow, so shall you reap. Hyakurin has put a lot of Itto-ryu swordsmen under the dirt, but when her sadistic partner, Shira, reappears out of the blue with an enigmatic warning, it's time to pay the piper. Hyakurin and Shinriji prepare to flee, but the enemy's already at the gates ? a band of Itto-ryu killers, hot for revenge. Backed into a corner, how will the two escape the vengeful swords of the enemy? Chances are, they won't! FOR MATURE READERS On sale March 13 b&w, 32pg (1 of 7) Cover price $2.99.

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Beasts: Part 2 of 7 - By Hiroaki Samura. Produced by Studio Proteus. The name of the game is vengeance, and the first rule assassin Hyakurin should've learned is never to leave an enemy alive and able to hunt you down! Captured by a pair of swordsmen, one of whom she left half-blinded and paralyzed with her poisonous arrows, this lesson looks to be Hyakurin's last. That is, unless her lovesick and inept sidekick Shinriji can pull it together enough to save her. Unfortunately, love doesn't always conquer all. Samurai action with a razor edge! 32 pages, B&W. Cover price $2.99.

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by HIROAKI SAMURA; produced by STUDIO PROTEUS Oh, the horror! We don't want to reveal storylines or dead characters before an issue prints, so let's just briefly go over what horrible things are in store for Blade of the Immortal readers. One surprise, no one dies. But someone wishes she was dead, considering the torture she's being subjected to: bondage, hot water, hanging from the rafters, bamboo beneath the fingernails, hot spikes being driven into legs, and then there's the standard beatings and humiliation. One wouldn't guess that these elements might be sales points, but then again, this is Blade of the Immortal, and these aren't your regular comic-book readers. FOR MATURE READERS On sale May 8 b&w, 32pg (3 of 7) . . . $2.99 Cover price $2.99.

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by HIROAKI SAMURA; produced by STUDIO PROTEUS The torture of Hyakurin continues. It's amazing that anyone could live through the brutality subjected to Hyakurin by these merciless Itto-ryü monsters, but she's holding her tongue like a pro. But sheesh, the girl's in trouble. How will she get out of this painfully dire situation? Fortunately, the agony of so much pain allows Hyakurin to slip deep into her mind, thinking of poor, dead Shinriji, and how they ended up on this path together. Slowly, teasingly, information about the Mugai-Ryü is bubbling up, and the ferocious Giichi, with a weapon like an oversized, razor sharp handcuff, will soon pay another visit. MATURE READERS On sale June 12 b&w, 32pg (one-shot) (4 of 7) . . . $2.99 Cover price $2.99.

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by HIROAKI SAMURA; produced by STUDIO PROTEUS The Itto-ryu have had their day with Hyakurin, and she hasn't broken. Now it's time to off her for good. Except their days and nights of torture have given Giichi time to track them down. The bespectacled killer with the decapitating head-cuff is hot on their trail, and hungry to take out a few more Itto-ryu bad guys. They don't know it yet, but there' s going to be hell to pay. Lot's of "killer" characters are coming back to Blade, as grudge matches galore line up for continuous bloody swordplay. FOR MATURE READERS On sale July 10 b&w, 32pg (5 of 7) . . . $2.99 Cover price $2.99.

by HIROAKI SAMURA; produced by STUDIO PROTEUS Ah, revenge. It's funny how the path to revenge only leads to another of the same. It never seems to end. And this time it's Hyakurin's turn. The victim of cruel torture, thinly veiled as a ploy for extracting information, Hyakurin endured days of the worst kinds of pain imaginable. But the sadistic Itto-ryü killers are about to learn a lesson in inefficiency, and it just may be their last. You see, the time these guys took to subject Hyakurin to terrible torture and humiliation was all Giichi needed to find our blonde anti- heroine, and now the man with the killer head-cuff and John Lennon-style spectacles is not only on the scene, he's feeling mean! FOR MATURE READERS On sale August 14 b&w, 32pg (6 of 7) . . . $2.99 Cover price $2.99.

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by HIROAKI SAMURA; produced by STUDIO PROTEUS From the dark recesses of her memory comes the story of Hyakurin, full of tragedy, blood, and mystery. Learn how Hyakurin came to be the killer she is today. Reel with the knowledge of why she killed her husband. And gasp as you find out. . .who she works for...Maybe! But what's important is that she's been rescued from the torturous grasp of those Ittö-ryu outlaws. Now she's resting with Giichi by her side and wandering through the past, darkly. It's another issue of mysteries revealed and brutalities uncovered. Strong characters, slowly revealing their true nature, and a setting that takes its time showing you the gritty back alleys. More of what you've come to expect from award-winning, long running series, Blade of the Immortal. FOR MATURE READERS On sale September 11 b&w, 32pg (7 of 7) . . . $2.99 Cover price $2.99.

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Fall Frost: Part 1 of 6 - By Hiroaki Samura. Produced by Studio Proteus. Phew! Now that the torturous chapter of Hyakurin is over and at rest, are you ready to move onward to the super action stage? Well, I hope you are, because we're heading into some of the toughest sword battles in the history of Blade of the Immortal. Manji and Magatsu are on the road together, hunting for the vicious Shira in what will surely be a nasty battle, when they all finally come together. But first, we'll join our traveling duo in a short and funny trip to the very recent past and find out exactly how Magatsu came to discover Manji recovering in Master Sori's house. But the light-hearted journey doesn't last very long. Shira's on the prowl, and he's looking meaner than ever. Let the pains begin! 32 pages, B&W. Cover price $2.99.

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by HIROAKI SAMURA; produced by STUDIO PROTEUS Nastier opponents and meaner battles are the two things that come to mind when trying to describe this story arc. You'd think by now Manji would have sliced his way through the most sinister personalities of feudal Japan. But instead of thinning out the vicious herd, removing the worst and most depraved, he's only shaken loose the meanest characters. And it looks like Manji and Magatsu are in for a killer collision with one of the baddest. They've been hunting down Shira, but they're not the only ones on the prowl. The hunters have become the hunted and Shira has nothing but dishonorable intentions for his prey. The fuse is burning fast on this confrontation and it's anyone's guess who will be left standing after it explodes. FOR MATURE READERS On sale December 11 b&w, 32pg (2 of 6) . . . $2.99 Cover price $2.99.