Path of the Assassin Volume 3: Comparison of a Man

There was a moment when I found myself thinking that Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima were the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby of manga, but I really do find that their work has a lot more in common with the films of Akira Kurosawa than anything in the realm of American comic books. My exposure to their work has been dictated by the production schedule of Dark Horse, which means I first read all of "Lone Wolf & Cub" and then "Samurai Executioner," and now am waiting impatiently for each new volume of "Path of the Assassin." The Japanese title was "Hanzo no Mon" because the tale is about Hattori Hanzo, the fabled master ninja who served Matsudaira Montonbu, the young lord who would grow up to become Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun who unified Japan and set it on the path to becoming a modern nation. As always there is a Parental Advisory level slapped on the cover to warn about the explicit content inside, but you also should be aware that the series is printed in the original right-to-left format, which takes a wee bit of getting used to. Volume 3, "Comparisons Of A Man," begins with the final four-and-a-half episodes of the series' second storyline, "Chapter on Relinquishing Factions." In the first year of Eiroku (1558), Motonobu has a stunning victory when he captures Mikawa Terabe Castle because of a combination of surprise tactics and Hanzo's stealth as a ninja. Because of this victory, Motonobu earns the trust of Imagawa Yoshimoto, who gives his vassal permission to change his name to Motoyasu. However, as Yoshimoto prepares to move against the capital , Motoyasu is caught between Imagawa's ambitions and the forces of Oda Nobunaga. In No. 5: "It Rains at Home, and It Rains on the Battlefield, Part 2," Motoyasu tries to find a way of lighting a fire in his wife Tsukiyama, while Hanzo considers the coming struggle. No. 6: "Blue Flag and War" finds Hanzo teaching his master how to fight in full samurai armor and then goes on a rescue mission that has an unforeseen consequences. No. 7: "Wife's Horse" has Hanzo and Tsuikomo figuring out their relationship and how to shrink rice to one tenth its size. At Imagawa's war council in No. 8: "When Bitten by a Mosquito," Motoyasu surprises everyone by volunteering to get provisions to Odaka Castle. In No. 9: "Comparison of a Man," Motoyasu's brilliant strategy is revealed, impressing the Baldy Rat, if not his master. The final episode-and-a-half are the opening of the third story, "Chapter on Relinquishing Death." The stage is set in No. 1: "Straw Sandals for Conqueror's Horses," where Nobunaga takes the Baldy Rat's advice regarding fighting in the rain. No. 2: "Hard Crossroad on the Plain, Part 1," covers the fight for Marline Fort, where Motoyasu surprises his officers by ordering his troops to fall back when the enemy come charging out of the castle. By now we understand that there is always a reason to his strategy and tactics, but it is fighting Sakuma Morishige in a duel between the two generals that is the

War has finally come and both master and servant are thrown into it feet first. As Ieyashu tries to "see tomorrow" all he can see is catastrophe and slaughter. Friends are NOT, and enemies MIGHT not be. Hanzo finds someone to love, in light and in shadow. But all that may be academic if Ieyashu cannot win a duel against a master warrior. With only what little Hanzo has taught him! It is the ending of the age of civil wars in Japan, but before it is over the country will be awash in blood and nothing will ever be the same. For those few who survive it.