Lone Wolf and Cub Volume 1: The Assassin's Road

This was NOT the product I was thinking it was. I had purchased this thinking that I was going to receive the actual manga volume (Note: The single volumes for this series are small but quite thick). However, I ended up with the American single issue comic book. As in, a single issue you could find at the comic bookstore that was ONLY 20 pages. You can find images of it online to see the difference.

I'm a big fan of the Lone Wolf and Cub fan movies. They are some of the bloodiest movies I've ever seen, but they're fascinating at the same time with their interesting display of the Japanese people during the Edo period. However, I was dubious when I heard about the manga series. I assumed that the manga was based on the movie series (an incorrect guess), thought it was too small (I've had bad experience with small manga books, read my review of Gundam Wing #1 to see what I mean), and while flipping through it, wasn't immediately attracted to the artwork like I was with the Blade of the Immortal series. However, when I gave it a closer inspection, I found the artwork to actually be pretty detailed and well done if you just gave it a chance. ... So I bought it. And I most certainly don't regret it. The stories are great, the art is great, the characters are cool, the dialogue is interesting, the different challenges Ogami faces are all unique and interesting...everything about it is great. Since continuity isn't a huge issue with the series the way it is with other mangas, I don't have to sweat it if I don't buy the books in proper order. Another great thing to not just this volume but to the entire series is the Buddhist mythology, beliefs, and tradtions inserted into the story. If you want to learn about Buddhism, don't pick up a "For Dummies" book. Instead read this manga and see the role Buddhism played in people's lives, as well as learning plenty about meifumado, the six paths and four ways, and other parts of everday Buddhism.Last to mention, one of my favorite things about this series, that has brought it near and dear to my heart, is that it's portable...it's the perfect size that I can still read it, but it fits in my pocket and I can carry it with me anywhere. This is a great manga, and you won't regret buying it (as long as tasteful nudity, rare and minimalistic sex scenes, and incredibly gory and violent action).

It was with child-like glee and excitement that I found Dark Horse was re-issuing the Lone Wolf and Cub series. Having first become aware of this historic series in 1981 w/ F. Schodt's seminal work, 'Manga Manga' I had to wait another ten years for the translation to be started by First Comics. At the time I collected those, I had no idea of the scope of the original series. 8000 pages in the original 1970's run?! Before First discontinued the series, stiffing us subscribers, they had only scratched the surface. To compound things, they did not follow the original order of the periodical. That, apparently, is now being rectified as Dark Horse has committed to 28 volumes at ~300 pages each. A few days ago I went out and bought the current 8 volumes in one fell swoop. The format has changed, the books are considerably smaller to mirror their last print run in Japan. The books are compact 6" tall, and must be held quite close to read. That does not detract at all. The story of the disgraced 17th century Shogun's executioner wandering the country as an assassin to endeavor to clear his family's name is a classic. His son Daigoro travels with him after the death of the mother, and provides an innocent life-fulfilling counterbalance to the bloody death dealt by the father. I cannot speak highly enough of this series, the artwork is monumental in its ability to capture mood, motion, and naturalistic quietude with nary a word spoken. The pacing of the fight scenes is remarkable. There is an austere beauty in the black and white treatment, coupled with an amazingly epic storyline, it adds up to a pinnacle of the genre. Highly recommended.

Lone Wolf and Cub has few equals, if any.The most frequent comparison I've seen is to Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal series, but the only real link between them is that each features kendo, Japanese fencing. Blade of the Immortal tells an engaging story, but it has a cyberpunk sensibility and is little concerned with historical or cultural context; Lone Wolf and Cub, on the other hand, is a sprawling epic which deals with weighty emotional and moral issues and frequently delves into the minutiae of Japanese political and cultural life under the Tokugawa shogunate. Though largely humorless, Ogami Itto's constant grimness is always contrasted by the human warmth of his child, Daigoro.On the surface, Goseki Kojima's ink artwork is serviceable -- adequate but far from extraordinary. Looking more closely, however, his skill becomes apparent: point of view is constantly shifting, sweeping between cinematic wide angles and tight close-ups on dew-laced leaves. And the reader is frequently treated to beautiful frames shaded more subtly than plain black-and-white line drawings, painted in the calligraphic style of traditional Japanese landscapes.Start with this volume, but be aware that you won't find the best this series has to offer until the next and following books. The overall story arc is epic and intricate, told in bits and pieces over many thousands of pages. (It could also be described as "historical fiction," one possible explanation of the historical disappearance of both the Ogami and Yagyu clans.) Most of the early stories, however, are self-contained, and they vary widely. All are interesting, but the narrative point of view and even the apparent genre changes with each story; the broad range of Kazuo Koike's storytelling, and his skill with manipulating narrative time, is only hinted at in this first volume.The translation is good, much more sensitive than the partial version published by First in the '80s.As a final point, I didn't find the small format to be a problem. I read many of these stories in First's run, printed in full-size format, but I quickly adapted to the smaller print and graphics in this Dark Horse printing. Dark Horse made the courageous decision to re-translate and publish the series of over 8000 pages -- a vastly greater scale than First attempted; printing each of 28 (?) volumes in full-size format would be prohibitively expensive for Dark Horse and for us. You'll adapt quickly to the smaller format -- and you'll be grateful to Dark Horse for bringing us this incomparable epic in its entirety.

(Note: For reader convenience, Western nomenclature is used - given name first, family name last.)The Western world's exposure to the Samurai culture has been rather limited - the most popular venues to the mass public have been the movies *Shogun Assassin* and *The Seven Samurai*. Both are fine examples of the film genre, but because the nature of film, neither really delves into the bushido mindset as deeply as I would like.It is in the arena of the comic book that the best explorations of the samurai legend have been achieved. Two titles come to mind - Stan Sakai's *Usagi Yojimbo* and Kazuo Koike's *Lone Wolf and Cub* (*Shogun Assassin* was based on the latter's film adaptation). The title reflects the content manner - Itto Ogami, the protagonist, is a highly-skilled ronin who travels with his toddler son, taking assassin's work whenever it comes but always assuring (sometimes indirectly) that the job upholds his strict sense of bushido.Some might say that the idea of an assassin with bushido is self-contradictory. However, under the skillful pen of Koike, Ogami's methods allow him to follow his chosen path and hold on to his honor simultaneously. His requirements regarding his assignments are simple - cash money and complete disclosure about the nature of the assignment, including the often compromising details.In this first volume (~300 pages of more than 8000), we are treated to tales of Ogami's skill and prowess as a swordsman and strategist. His is an unorthodox approach to the samurai arts, and he is absolutely merciless to his victims. His son often collaborates in the assignments, usually as a set-up ploy. While ruthless to his opponents, he is also capable of great compassion and does have a very human side; one chapter, in particular, explores the reasons he left the prestigious post of the Shogun's personal executioner (the one chosen to assist in ritual suicide by decapitation) in order to journey down `the path to Hell.' Those familiar with manga will no doubt find the ink stylings of Goseki Kojima familiar; it is similar to that of Sanpei Shirato's *The Legend of Kamui,* but Kojima's work is more articulate. Eschewing typical manga character design and expanding on traditional concepts of sequential movement, Kojima draws sensitive and articulate portraits while simultaneously transporting us directly into the middle of dramatic battle. Horror; amusement, contempt, compassion; anger; longing - none are beyond the reach of his pen.I recommend *Lone Wolf and Cub* to any who wish a good read. With much to offer a diverse audience - drama, mystery, action, plot, and character development - it is a series that reads and presents itself well. You need not be a comics enthusiast or a Japanophile to enjoy this work - its execution is that well wrought. Drawing on historical fact, East Asian military classics, an eye for detail, and an innate sense of drama, Koike and Kojima give us something that will surely become a great cl

After purchasing this volume out of curiosity, I have decided that the Lone Wolf and Cub stories by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima are among the very best comic books ever created. Their mix of action, drama and history make each episode unforgettable. Each page has iconic imagery, heroism, cinematic silences, and breathtaking layouts that immediately bring Akira Kurosawa to mind. While every volume in this collection is a must own, I would suggest reading this volume first. This way, you will understand who the lead characters are-- the world weary samaurai and his son in the wooden stroller loaded with the samaurai's secret weapons. You'll also witness unforgettable moments in their lives (such as when the father realizes he must run from his fellow warriors and wordlessly demands that his son choose between a ball or a gleaming sword). The stories in this volume are well-drawn, dramatic, and timeless. This is why the they have served as the basis for a popular television series during the late 1970s, the Hollywood classic Shogun Assassin, and Frank Miller's groundbreaking graphic novel, Ronin. Once you read this first volume, you'll want to own them all.