Samurai Executioner Volume 8: The Death Sign of Spring

First, I thought SAMURAI EXECUTIONER would just be a beginners work, the first time Koike and Gojima worked together...but very early i saw that this was simply not the case. Samurai Executioner is at least as fleshed out as LONE WOLF AND CUB...and with volume eight (i read it immediately after volume seven) i almost think it's better than LONE WOLF AND CUB. For instance you have a really strong supporting cast, something Lone Wolf and Cub lacked (to balance this out LONE WOLF had a very good roster of antagonists and villians, notably Retsudo Yagyu and the Shogun himself) The supporting consists of Kasajiro and Shinko the Kappa who are demanding more and more space for themselves and Koike isn't refusing them. It almost has a touch of a good TV Series, like ROME or DEADWOOD, NIP TUCK or PRACTICE. It simply is completely different from LONE WOLF AND CUB but it's equal in the quality to this epic series...and then some...