Blue Eye Samurai is heading back in time, and onto the page. Dark Horse Comics will launch Blue Eye Samurai: Cry of the Yurei, a four-issue prequel series about the early life of Mizu, on Feb. 3, 2027, according to the publisher’s listing.
The series is written by K. Perkins and Mike Johnson, who both wrote on the Netflix animated series, and Dark Horse says they are working in direct consultation with the show’s creators. Aviv Or draws the interiors, with colors by Valentina Bianconi and letters by Taylor Esposito. David Mack paints the main cover, with variant covers by Angela Wu and Ito.
The story follows Mizu before the events of the show. “When both her gender and her mixed race are revealed to the samurai Daisuke, a cruel client of the Swordmaker, young Mizu is forced to confront her vulnerability,” the solicitation reads. She escapes into the woods, but Daisuke pursues her. Lost, hunted and ashamed, she stumbles on Sachiko, a wronged housemaid who sympathizes with her. The question is whether the two can set aside their fears long enough to help each other.
The title’s “yurei” refers to the restless ghosts of Japanese folklore, which hints at the tone the series is going for.
Perkins and Johnson have teamed up on origin stories before, co-writing Blade Runner: Origins, CBR noted. Issue #1 is a 32-page full-color comic priced at $4.99 and rated 18+, in line with the show’s violence.
Created by Michael Green and Amber Noizumi, Blue Eye Samurai debuted on Netflix in 2023 and follows Mizu, a mixed-race swordmaster seeking revenge in Edo-period Japan. The show won wide praise for its animation and action, and the comic gives fans more of Mizu’s past to dig into between seasons.
Dark Horse has had a busy fall, including a court-approved settlement that freed its comics stuck in Diamond’s warehouse.
