King of Snake Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 Will do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted October 28, 2003 Author Share Posted October 28, 2003 In the mood to share this one with others; this is still possibly my favorite sereis of all time, right up there with Preacher in my book. He is a ronin, a masterless samurai, a soldier of supernatural skill reduced to the state of a killer for hire. He walks the land with a wooden baby carriage, in which his infant son lay. "Rumour has it that the child himself takes part in the killings. The child of a wolf... is still a wolf." In Western style, this is the story of a Man With No Name travelling formless, endless dusty land in a quest to clear his name. In Japanese style, this is a quest of personal and familial honour. This is Ogami Itto, once executioner to the Shogun, now betrayed and walking the assassin's road in a bid to restore his name and exact necessary vengeance. And awful circumstance dictated that he must take his three-year-old child with him on his descent into hell. These are seminal comics. Violence in the graphic novel begins with Koike and Kojima. They invent the vocabulary here; slow motion, motion blur, speed and fury and horror. It changed the medium the way Kurosawa changed film. Think of these 300-page books, with their glossaries and notations, as a Criterion DVD release of something central to its artform. - Warren Ellis PS Im mad scouring Ebay for one of the few Hardcover volume 1 editions out there, signed & all.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted October 28, 2003 Author Share Posted October 28, 2003 An excellent summary of volume 2: The Gatless Barrier. There isn't much to add to what has already been said about LONE WOLF AND CUB. It's quite simply the best adventure series produced in the medium of comics. Ogami Itto, disgraced executioner of the Shogunate, roams Edo period Japan as an assassin for hire, with his young son, Daigoro, in tow. They travel the road of Meifumado - the path to damnation - in a quest to one day avenge the crimes committed against their family... A blend of cinematic action and historical intrigue make LONE WOLF AND CUB a highly addictive read. For me, the series hits the ground running right from the start. In these early volumes, there is much greater attention to the class struggles of feudal period Japan, as well as the historical details of the era, which have been painstakingly researched by series writer, Kazuo Koike. In THE GATELESS BARRIER, book two of this massive twenty-eight volume series, there is a particular emphasis on the plight of women in a society that values them as either trophies or prostitutes, and Ogami Itto discovers whether or not he can kill the very Buddha himself. And the answer may surprise you. - Peter Siegel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted October 29, 2003 Author Share Posted October 29, 2003 This thread has more hits than most in this forum, that makes me happy. Well, a long time back, I mentioned lookin for a comic and 2Track found it for me, thought it couldnt hurt to ask, maybe someone has better luck than I. Ive been looking all over online for a better copy of this image, it's the cover to the original japanese edition of Lone Wolf & Cub, volume 11 if my translation's correct. Man, id love to make a poster/background of this one, though: Ogami Itto & Daigoro vs the world...or, just Japan Found that one in an auction, actually, even mailed the seller. If anyone can find a sharper one, ill be your bestest friend. Oh, and those who've read the series (or some of it), post/discuss any favorite images you had from the series, that'd be really cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted August 28, 2004 Author Share Posted August 28, 2004 Samurai Executioner Vol. 1 TPB Writer: Kazuo Koike Artist: Goseki Kojima om the creators of Lone Wolf and Cub comes Samurai Executioner. It’s true! Before Koike and Kojima created Itto Ogami, they created Kubikiri Asa, better known to Lone Wolf readers as Decapitator Asaemon. He was the equal to Itto, bearer of the sword Onibocho, the man charged with the duty of testing the swords for the shogun. Samurai Executioner is based on the decapitator himself, in life before his fatal duel with Lone Wolf. Expect the same legendary drama, frantic action, and stoic samurai stature, combined with the exemplary art and storytelling that made Lone Wolf and Cub one of the most popular and influential comic books in the world! • Never before published in America, Samurai Executioner was the precursor to one of the most seminal works of manga, Lone Wolf & Cub! • Since the inception of their Lone Wolf & Cub publishing program in 2000, Dark Horse has sold over 800,000 copies! And the series continues to sell thousands per month! FOR MATURE READERS Pub. Date: July 28, 2004 Format: Softcover, 328 pages, b&w, 4" x 6" Age range: 18+ Price: $9.95 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted August 28, 2004 Author Share Posted August 28, 2004 Koike Kazuo - Possible Lone Wolf sequel...? - rumors of a book of Daigoro's adulthood, called "Lone Wolf", possibly as early as this year (in Japan)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted March 25, 2005 Author Share Posted March 25, 2005 Just picked up Samurai Executioner # 2 (of 10, i believe)...1 was very enjoyable, even if you do kinda know how things turn out by the end of Lone Wolf & Cub. KOS, you readin this one man? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jables Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Maaaate. I'ma a happy chappy! They've just released the series on DVD. Picked up my fave today(Baby cart in Hades), can't wait to get the rest!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted March 25, 2005 Author Share Posted March 25, 2005 oooooh, fan of the movies, are ya? Ive watched all but the last 2 or so (i copied them kinda fuzzy, sadly). "Shogun Assasins" is a great summary, puts the most interesting shit together, but it writes it all wrong; makes Retsudo look like the Shogun himself...enjoyable tho. Damn, those movies are classic, and some of the casting was spot-on. Now you got me wantin to go re-watch em... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jables Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 I'm just glad they released 'em on DVD. I was onto the books 1st, but there's a lot of'em, and they cost mooooney. I've read a few, and they're on my list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLeakyBucket Posted March 27, 2005 Share Posted March 27, 2005 What are they up to in the books now? I read up to about 10 or so when I was living with TMTYLizard (have tried to coax him back, could use some more literary stuff). He mentioned seeing and liking a few of the films I think. Any good then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted March 27, 2005 Author Share Posted March 27, 2005 I believe the series finally finished being translated about a year or two ago, with volume 28 or so, i wanna say? And a damn fine ending it was....one of my all-time favorite series, right here. Japan's seein a sequel, of sorts, through a short series on Daigoro growing up, not sure when that's gettin translated, but the current one, Samurai Execution, is a 10 book sidestory, about one of the greatest Edo swordsmen Itto faced. I havnet finished book 2 yet, but if you get a chance to read the rest/more of Lone Wolf & Cub, i strongly suggest to do so. The movies (some of the TV series were crappy), the baby kart series, are excellent adaptions, i think. You can bittorent most of them, i found six total, and then Shogun Assasins, which is like a summary of them, just altering a few key plot details, but taking the best fights from all six and basically combining them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jables Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 There was a series? Those shogun assasin movies explain this one i saw that looked familiar but not... It was weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted February 13, 2006 Author Share Posted February 13, 2006 Only 2 books left in the series....i wonder if Dark Horse'll translate the further adventures of Daigoro? Samurai ExecutionerFrom Dark Horse Written & Illustrated by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima Reviewed by Michael C Lorah Samurai are a big staple of manga comics, and nobody does samurai better than Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima. The pair are most famous for their 8400 (give or take a few) page samurai epic Lone Wolf & Cub. After completing the saga of Ogami Itto and his son, they embarked on a slightly less ambitious series, spinning an extremely minor LW&C character, Yamada Asaemon, the Shogun’s decapitator and sword tester, off into his own 3000-page saga. However, Samurai Executioner takes a different tact than its predecessor. Rather than spinning one gargantuan epic of family, honor and revenge, Samurai Executioner essentially limits itself to a continuing series of nearly unrelated short stories. The focus, thus, becomes less on Asaemon’s journey and more on the political, social and criminal strata of Edo-period Japanese history. The depth of research that Koike has done is truly astounding, reflecting in the impeccable detail of Kojima’s illustrations and the intriguing scenarios that continually face Asaemon. Short tales focus on the sense of honor that even the lowest criminal can feel, or on the workings of the prisons, or on daily procedures of ancient Japanese life. Longer stories, such as Volume 6’s Gobari Sandosu, examine the political make-up of Edo by putting Asaemon in conflict with what are effectively the unions that run the city’s daily functions. Through it all, Asaemon behaves with total honor and responsibility for his duties as decapitator. Asaemon is often just a bit player in many stories, as Koike prefers to tell stories about the history and culture of his homeland. However, Koike still takes some time to prevent Asaemon from becoming a complete cipher - for example, by delving into the manner by which citizens avoid contact with the dreaded executioner and his “cursed” status in Edo. When Asaemon steps out of the spotlight (usually to show up at the tale’s end with a final sword stroke or to offer words of wisdom), one of his few friends, Jitte man (in modern English, a cop) Sakane Kasajiro, steps to the front to showcase the police methods of ancient Japan. Kasajiro offers a different view of the time period, that of a younger man finding his place in a regimented world. Among other things, he learns the limits of his favored fighting technique, marries (a most unlikely bride – whom he doesn’t treat very well, which may be a signifier of the times or perhaps just an unsavory character trait) and solves mind-scrambling crimes. Artist Goseki Kojima has his limitations. He only has 4 or 5 stock people, and everybody starts to look a like after a while, but nobody – I mean nobody – lays out a scene more cinematically or creates more believable backgrounds. Each building has a physical weight on the page, and the reader can feel the wind blowing out of the book when Kojima’s landscapes come to the fore. His brushstrokes perfectly capture the organic feel of Edo. Plus, let’s be honest, his action scenes kick ass. Samurai Executioner is a violent, sexual series. Whether that is a negative or a positive, I leave up the reader, but it should be noted that Koike and Kojima pulls absolutely no punches when showing the depth to which some people will sink. Some criminals inspire sympathy due to their circumstances, and some are amoral monsters. In any case, Decapitator Asaemon is waiting at the end of the line, and I strongly encourage any curious reader to be there as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted June 25, 2006 Author Share Posted June 25, 2006 Dark Horse announced at the New York Comic Con that they have licensed Shin Lone Wolf & Cub, Koike Kazuo and Mori Hideki's follow-up to Lone Wolf and Cub, starring the famous child in the baby cart after the original revenge epic. The release name for the series, which might be New Lone Wolf and Cub, and format, whether it will be released in the 6.0" x 4.3" dimension of the original Lone Wolf and Cub, are still being considered. Hideki Mori who takes up the job of illustrating the epic from the late Goseki Kojima. Mori employs an art style and vigorous, organic brushwork which is strongly reminiscent of Kojima's, but he brings his own individuality to the task . Koike begins the new "Lone Wolf and Cub" manga right where the original ended, with Daigoro amidst the aftermath of his father's revenge. A mysterious samurai appears at the seashore and forms a new bond with the boy. Volume 1 will also contain an essay by Koike about his return to the manga epic after almost thirty years, and his thoughts on the international popularity of the story, including its influence on the graphic novel and film Road to Perdition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopcruz Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 AnimEigo is selling the box set for 76.00 or so, do you think it is worth it for all the movies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jables Posted June 29, 2006 Share Posted June 29, 2006 Definitely man. Go for it. Firtst three are the shit, can't really speak for the rest though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted July 1, 2006 Author Share Posted July 1, 2006 Skeet, you still bringin this set overseas as a, uh, lindsay-warming gift? cause if not, i gotta go sell some fluids and pick up that series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted September 22, 2006 Author Share Posted September 22, 2006 Dark Horse announced at the New York Comic Con that they have licensed Shin Lone Wolf & Cub, Koike Kazuo and Mori Hideki's follow-up to Lone Wolf and Cub, starring the famous child in the baby cart after the original revenge epic. The release name for the series, which might be New Lone Wolf and Cub, and format, whether it will be released in the 6.0" x 4.3" dimension of the original Lone Wolf and Cub, are still being considered. Hideki Mori who takes up the job of illustrating the epic from the late Goseki Kojima. Mori employs an art style and vigorous, organic brushwork which is strongly reminiscent of Kojima's, but he brings his own individuality to the task . Koike begins the new "Lone Wolf and Cub" manga right where the original ended, with Daigoro amidst the aftermath of his father's revenge. A mysterious samurai appears at the seashore and forms a new bond with the boy. Volume 1 will also contain an essay by Koike about his return to the manga epic after almost thirty years, and his thoughts on the international popularity of the story, including its influence on the graphic novel and film Road to Perdition. man, im dyin for news since this announcement; samurai executioner tied up (still gotta finish readin it), when's this one get started? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jables Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 I still haven't picked up this series for my fucking self yet. pesky digest format... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted April 8, 2016 Author Share Posted April 8, 2016 I was worried how this'd go without Kojima, but Koike found a perfect fit & even talked about this very issue at the end of volume 1...man, have i come around on this. it went from being (in my mind) right up there with Fight Club 2 as far as stories so good i didn't think they needed a sequel, to fuck i'm so happy this is continuing. it picks up literally right after the fantastic ending of the classic series, and 3 volumes in, it's already putting in work to not only develop Daigoro, but continue fleshing out the world Itto left in his wake...as well as the new Wolf. Buying this one so hard, though i may learn a lesson & wait to see if there's a larger omnibus this go around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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