Lone Wolf and Cub Volume 28: The Lotus Throne the Lotus Throne

The final stop on the assassins road ... You have to read the first 27 volumes of this series to comprehend just how incredible it is. Cinematic in style, and perhaps one of the greatest pieces of literature of modern times, this sage comes to an end here, as debts are settled, and a country awaits the outcome. I've heard comic book fans say they would never read this because it's manga. Ignore them. Even if you don't read comics, you need to read this series. It will make you laugh, cry and get angry -- often in the same story. Few works of art can do that to you. This one does. This volume is a fitting end to the saga. The events of the previous 27 volumes propel readers to this conclusion, and if you aren't moved by the story aren't breathing. It's that simple.

If you are about to read or order this final book, please read this! This volume has a glossary at the end, as do the others in the Dark Horse reprint of the series. Do not flip to the glossary in this volume; it's located adjacent to the final panels of the series and inadvertently seeing them may spoil your enjoyment of the book. Do without -- there's nothing in the glossary of this volume that isn't in a previous issue. As for the content, the volume is an incredibly tense, poignant, surprising, and confusing conclusion that draws on the stories and themes of the earlier volumes. Read the books from start to finish. The first two volumes suffer from a weak translation and some clumsiness but from then Lone Wolf and Cub is thoughtful, visceral, transcendant series that will make you proud to be a comic book reader. In thinking over these stories, I often thought back on "Beyond Fate" by Margaret Visser, a transcription of lectures about fate and honour, which I would also recommend.

After 28 HUGE volumes, Lone Wolf and Cub finally comes to an end. On the one hand, I couldn't WAIT for the series to end, so I could see what happened to Itto Ogami and his son, Daigoro. Would they have their revenge against the Yagyu clan at last...? On the other hand, I knew I'd miss the characters and the magnificent work of creators Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima....Well, I've finally finished the series, and I miss Daigoro already... This final installment revolves around the showdown between Ogami & Daigoro and their nemesis, Retsudo Yagyu. Yagyu brings the final remnants of his "Grass" (Deep-cover Ninja who spend generations infiltrating villages in Japan) to the battlefield, and employs a truly insidious deception against Itto (Which I won't spoil!); I studiously avoided any situation that may have resulted in my discovering the end of the series before I got a chance to read it, and although I had a general idea of how the final battle would play out, I was still moved to tears at the final twenty pages..... If you haven't experienced any of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, I can't recommend them highly enough. I've been reading comics since I was two years old, and I have NEVER read such a finely wrought story; It ranks among my favorite works of fiction, right alongside Lonesome Dove and The Stand, and that's pretty damned impressive.......

In this final volume of the now-legendary series, Lone Wolf and Cub face their final battle against their enemy, Lord Restudo in a showdown that is nothing less than poetic and stunning. Being a reader of the series since it started being published in the U.S. (going on two years now...), the final shocking act committed in this series definitely struck a chord with me. A long journey has ended, and with it, a truly great epic series (sure to be among the finest in comic history or popular literature) has as well. Highly Recommended.

If you are new to this series don't you DARE go near this book until you have read at least the last 6 volumes.If you are not if you like me have read this series from the start (which began for me back in the early 90's) it is the ultimate finish to the ultimate comic/novel whatever.For us who have followed the story of Ito and his son after all of these years it is a bittersweet ending. We've come to care for all of these characters. In the last 8 books we have even come to like and respect Retsudo. It is hard to let it go, even harder with the finish it had.I can't thing of a series that moved me more, who's quality was always high (I can thing of only one story in the 140 or so that I just hated there have been many classic moment, the art was always suburb and the stories just incredible.You will not spend any better reading money than this series, and for those who think of this only as a comic book, remember Japan thinks of things differently and so will you once you start reading.The ultimate ending to the ultimate series.