BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL: Beasts

This long-running 18th-century samurai manga series manages to handle very difficult, dark material in what is essentially a side narrative to the main story line. Throughout the Blade saga, the beautiful Rin and Manji, an immortal swordsman accompanying her, are seeking vengeance against the vicious thugs of the outlaw sword school Itto-ryu. In this installment, Rin and Manji have been separated, and their cohorts are in hiding until they are betrayed and one of them, the stunning blond assassin Hyakurin, is captured by Itto-ryu brutes. In the work of a lesser artist, Hyakurin's torture and rape could become kinky titillation, but instead, they are vividly, unbearably awful. Samura doesn't avoid beastly cruelty, but does not exploit it, either. Those grim scenes are not about sex and violence but about human endurance and imagination. Even before she's rescued, Hyakurin has beaten her torturers with her self-possession. Samura's stark b&w drawings combine precision and a gritty, gestural line in riveting, powerfully expressive illustrations. This considerable work of art has been treated with respect by its publisher. Japanese manga are read right to left and, when released in this country, are generally reversed for American readers. However, at Samura's request, his panels have been cut up and recomposed for a left-to-right format that preserves their dramatic energy and continuity. The text has also been carefully translated to distinguish the characters' different voices, from aristocrat to street punk. Readers will be drawn into this epic tale, even when there are moments they would prefer to look away. (June)