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Lone Wolf and Cub: Complete Manga Series

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Ranked #4,657 in Books, Poetry & Writing, #170,656 overall

Sink your teeth into a great samurai story line.

Lone wolf and Cub is a comic book series (or Manga) spanning 28 volumes, each volume is around 280 - 300 pages in length.

The story follows Ogami Itto, the Shoguns' former executioner, and his son Daigoro. They journey through meifumado as a living demon of hell; Ogami seeks revenge on the Yagyu clan for their deceit, disbarring Ogami Itto from the post of the Shoguns executioner and bringing shame to his family name. Ogami has become a sword for hire, walking the soil of medieval Japan, charging 500 ryu for an assassination.

Having held one of the highest positions in samurai society Ogami is naturally a formidable warrior and an acute observer of culture and custom. He uses this knowledge, his peerless control of the sword and his brilliant mastery of strategy to get himself in and out of tricky situations to complete his assassination missions and his ultimate goal of destroying the yagyu clan.

Quick Slice Overview

The Essential Samurai Saga

A well crafted narrative told through exquisite imagery

It's difficult to fully describe the experience of allowing yourself to be absorbed in to the world of Lone Wolf and Cub. The artwork, for egsample, has a power and subtlety that few comics achieve.

The stories and characters unfold to examine the themes of honor, loyalty and dedication. At the same time brutal swordplay is vividly evoked and representations of sex are not shied away from. In the first few stories it seams a little on the side of exploitation, but as you follow the series these depictions take on their own logic.

You find more out about the characters, Ogammi Itto and his son Daigoro, through the other characters they meet on their quest. All the inhabitants of this world are absorbed with similar preoccupations of honor and self respect in a cultured society decaying into seedy corruption.

We are seduced into believing the series as a chronicling of history due to the sense of researched detail of feudal Japan and the samurai world.

(imho) As a fun introduction to the culture and period, the philosophy of zen and the sense of bushido you couldn't do better.

Lone Wolf on Amazon Volumes 1-5

Don't hesitate, if you like graphic novels with engrossing characters go to Amazon and buy them all.

Although it's a long series the books are cutely produced in a small format, similar to the japanese origional and smaller than a normal UK paperback book.

Howling Good Titles

Lone Wolf and Cub Series

This is a complete list of the volume titles. Each title is derived from one of the short stories contained therein. There are on average 6 stories in each book, the earlier books have more numerous shorter stories while the last volumes are concerned with the main story arc and almost one continuous story.

1. The Assassin's Road
2. The gateless Barrier
3. The Flute of the Fallen Tiger
4. The Bell Warden
5. Black Wind
6. Lanterns For the Dead
7. Cloud Dragon, Wind Tiger
8. Chains of Death
9. Echo of the Assassin
10. Hostage Child
11. Talisman of Hades
12. Shattered Stones
13. Moon in the East, Sun in the West
14. Day of the Demons
15. Brothers of the Grass
16. Gateway into Winter
17. The Will of the Fang
18. Twilight of the Kurokuwa
19. The Moon In Our Hearts
20. A Taste of Poison
21. Fragrance of Death
22. Heaven & Earth
23. Tears of Ice
24. In These Small Hands
25. Perhaps in Death
26. Struggle in the Dark
27. Battle's Eve
28. The Lotus Throne

Lone Wolf on Amazon Vol 6-10

The size and quality of these small books make for a great reading experience. Beware, once you buy the first one or two you'll want them all.

Lone Wolf and Cub on TV

Inventive use of montage

Using the comics as a source, with a little added footage and simple animation devices, the comics were serialised on japanese TV.

Lone Wolf and Cub Television Series Vol. 1 EP. 1: by Daigoro80 | video info

17 ratings | 14,247 views

curated content from YouTube

Lone Wolf on Amazon Vol 11 - 15

Well if you have read the lens this far you may as well buy some more volumes of this incredible Manga series.

The Thin Threads of Knowledge

I bring together a few interesting links to further your Otaku impulses for Lone Wolf and Cub!

Lonewolf Wikipedia Entry: This is a great one stop introduction with further links to the TV series, the creators and the films. Even points the way to other aspects of Japanese culture
Lone Wolf video game: Find a description and some screen shots of an old video game from 1987. It looks like it could be a bit of fun to play for 5 minutes!
Lone Wolf and Cub T-shirts at Dark Horse Comics: Find all things Lone Wolf at Dark Horse Comics (The publishers of the Lone Wolf comic book series in the west).
Arts Of The Samurai: You can find some great resources for all things samurai here, however I am linking specifically to the Lone Wolf and Cub gateway page. You can find great descriptions and reviews as well as all the UK, US and Japanese artwork and graphics - SUPERB!
AnimEigo Translating Lone Wolf and Cub films Liner Notes: A nice short essay on the history of the samurai and notes relating to the translation of the Lone Wolf and Cub films into English from Japanese.
4thletter! Lone Wolf & Cub: Some great blog entries on our favourite vengeful Samurai series. Some related material on the film series too.

Lone Wolf on Amazon Vol 16 - 20

The combination of artwork and story gets better and better, I guarantee after a few pages your reading experience will take you away to the land of the rising sun, sake and swords.