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60th out of 1,502 books
—
3,026 voters
Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 1: The Assassin's Road (Lone Wolf and Cub #1)
Few works can legitimately lay claim to the mantle "landmark". Dark Horse Comics is proud to present one of the authentic landmarks in graphic fiction, Lone Wolf and Cub. Acknowledged worldwide for the brilliant writing of series creator Kazuo Koike and the groundbreaking cinematic visuals of the late Goseki Kojima, Lone Wolf and Cub contains unforgettable imagery of stark...more
Paperback, 296 pages
Published
September 25th 2000
by Dark Horse Comics
(first published September 1970)
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The role of comic books in America is in transition, and so comics hold a tenuous and unusual position in the American psyche. To some degree, they are still considered dirty and cheap, still artistically bankrupt, and there are good reasons for this. For a long time, the industry had its hands tied by the 'Comics Code', a punitive ratings system. One can realize the effects the code had by imagining what movies would be like if the government stated that all films released must attain a 'G' rat...more
This series might look like non stop Samurai action,epic story but the strenght of the writing is how much the story shows less romantic,more realistic view on Samurai era,culture. The normal people that didnt thrive under the caste,honor system of the Samurai.
The most brilliant part of the work is though the stunning,cinematic artwork. 40 years old it still looks more beautiful,stronger than 100% of other japanese comics,other comics i have read.
There are maybe many classic important series l...more
The most brilliant part of the work is though the stunning,cinematic artwork. 40 years old it still looks more beautiful,stronger than 100% of other japanese comics,other comics i have read.
There are maybe many classic important series l...more
"Dark Horse Comics is proud to present one of the authentic landmarks in graphic fiction, Lone Wolf and Cub, to be published in its entirety for the first time in America. An epic samurai adventure of staggering proportions -- over 7000 pages -- Lone Wolf and Cub (Kozure Okami in Japan) is acknowledged worldwide for the brilliant writing of series creator Kazuo Koike and the groundbreaking cinematic visuals of the late Goseki Kojima, creating unforgettable imagery of stark beauty, kinetic fury,...more
Kino auf Papier
Es ist faszinierend, diese Geschichten zu lesen. Sie laufen alle nach einem ähnlichen Schema ab: ein sehr langsamer Spannungsaufbau, der sich in einer Gewaltorgie entlädt. Der Plotter lässt sich viel Zeit für den Aufbau, sparsame Dialoge, knappe Charakterisierungen. Der Zeichner zeigt seine Kunst besonders in den Kampfszenen, die kinematischer kaum sein könnten - selten wird in statischen Bildern Dynamik so perfekt dargestellt, man könnte meinen, die Schwerter bewegen sich wirklic...more
Es ist faszinierend, diese Geschichten zu lesen. Sie laufen alle nach einem ähnlichen Schema ab: ein sehr langsamer Spannungsaufbau, der sich in einer Gewaltorgie entlädt. Der Plotter lässt sich viel Zeit für den Aufbau, sparsame Dialoge, knappe Charakterisierungen. Der Zeichner zeigt seine Kunst besonders in den Kampfszenen, die kinematischer kaum sein könnten - selten wird in statischen Bildern Dynamik so perfekt dargestellt, man könnte meinen, die Schwerter bewegen sich wirklic...more
Lone Wolf and Cub centers around Ogami Ittō, a Shogun's executioner during the Tokugawa Shogunate. Betrayed, most of his family murdered, he wanders 17th century Japan in a saga of justice and revenge spanning 28 volumes and 7,000 pages, all with a 3yr-old son (absolutely a chip off the old block) in tow. This tale isn't blessed with numerous, regular characters or multilayered plots, but its story arcs are strong and satisfying with an unequaled sense of place/time. Relationships (including tha...more
Volume 1 of Assasin's Road. - Whew. Powerful. The artist is as powerful as the writer. Takes place in 17th century Japan - a time of ronin and yazuki taking over villages and killing as many people as they can. The Lone Wolf has a child of 3 he carries around with him in a squeaky cart as he goes from place to place killing the bad guys (and women). You can feel the dirt flying in the wind or the gentle breeze with leaves scuttling along. You can hear the first rains of autumn, smell the dust se...more
Lone Wolf and Cub refer to the title character and his child, a man who was once a samurai that performs assassinations as a ronin. The beginning chapters of the manga left me a little bit disappointed. It was action sequence after action sequence that had very little story, just how the main character became involved in the current debacle. The illustrations from these stories are what really make this manga worth reading. The illustrator uses the illustrations to create tension, the same way a...more
This was really tedious, and made me question why it's so beloved. Every little vignette was exactly the same, and all had basically the same outcome (I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying that the outcome is that Lone Wolf and Cub kicks everyone's ass and then walks away).
A couple things that I am unclear on are:
1) Why is that kid's head so big?
2) Is the guy's name actually "Lone Wolf and Cub"? Like just him? I had always assumed that he was "Lone Wolf" and the baby was "Cub" - I found...more
A couple things that I am unclear on are:
1) Why is that kid's head so big?
2) Is the guy's name actually "Lone Wolf and Cub"? Like just him? I had always assumed that he was "Lone Wolf" and the baby was "Cub" - I found...more
This was fascinating. The artwork is beautiful. The stories are indirect and so I could not always anticipate where they would go. One key element to the whole series is how the Cub factors into the schemes of Lone Wolf. Frequently, the Lone Wolf puts the Cub into seriously precarious positions. There is a rationale given for this at some point, but I just couldn't go with it. Consequently, when this story mechanism appears, as it does in several stories, I'm less thrilled about that particular...more
My 5-star rating isn't necessarily for Vol 1, but rather for the series itself. One of the greatest illustrated epics of all time, and that's no exaggeration. The attention to detail-- to the dress, weaponry, and architecture of Edo era Japan-- is amazing, but what's most impressive is the authors' take on the subtle nuances of the samurai-dominated social structure. This is a uniquely Japanese story with uniquely Japanese characters, but its so damn good it doesn't matter where you're from.
If...more
If...more
The artwork is gripping and cinematic, creating moments of tense drama in panels devoid of words. The brushwork is particularly lush. The stories themselves though--besides the last--are often 'men doing man things' and rely on Lone Wolf's perfect insight to twist twists in the plot to his favor. Stuff is just too easy for him and he comes off like some puerile fantasy. As a result, the role of women is often pathetic--historically accurate, maybe, but whatever--and, in one tale, shockingly upse...more
Lone Wolf and Cub is nostalgia porn. If you grew up watching the really old kung fu movies - the ones without the special effects, english-speaking actors, and even slo-mo, based in a version of China / Japan from some indeterminate medieval age - then you will recognize this one. Stark, bare B&W, focusing on kinetics and sound, and some brilliant levels of drawing - it's awesome how the artwork can look rough and unfinished at first glance, and then start displaying a depth of emotion and r...more
This is a great comic to have read, even if reading it isn't always tons of fun. The central premise is solid - ronin travels with his 3-year old boy and gets into various fights - but it's repeated over and over for literally thousands of pages in the whole series. It gets a bit Scooby Doo after a while.
The politics of Japanese clan conflicts is a bit hard to follow, and doesn't integrate with the main story well. One last complaint: the 2000 Dark Horse edition features surely the tiniest print...more
The politics of Japanese clan conflicts is a bit hard to follow, and doesn't integrate with the main story well. One last complaint: the 2000 Dark Horse edition features surely the tiniest print...more
Super excellent. This is one hell of an action comic, with gorgeous artwork, lots of suspense, serious badassery, and great central characters. I loved the beautifully-drawn and complex action sequences, and also loved the bond between the dangerous father and his toddler son. Fans of samurai films, or even people like me who've seen Yojimbo a few too many times (can you really see Yojimbo too many times, though?), will recognize both the setting and the visual vocabulary. Great writing, great a...more
Aug 22, 2012
Gabriel Wallis
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommended to Gabriel by:
Arlo Wallis
Shelves:
2012
Honestly, I wasn't too impressed. I thought there were a lot of unnecessary scenes illustrated in the story... scenes that could have been left to the imagination. The rape scene was totally unnecessary; Ogami being forced to have sex with a prostitute, while everyone looked on, was unnecessary; and the nudity was unnecessary. I also didn't realize, until too late, that a glossary was available. I read the entire graphic novel not really understanding the Japanese lingo. The very last "chapter",...more
The first volume of the famous "Lone Wolf and Cub" series. Due to it's popularity, the series would soon spread to other forms of media, such as live action TV shows and movies, to become equal to Zatoichi in it's popularity of the lone samurai assassin theme. It was with this expectation that I started reading this volume. The book is broken into multiple chapters, each being an individual short story describing the adventures of father and son. However, no matter how much I tried, I could not...more
I first read Lone Wolf & Cub, in bits in pieces, in the mid 90s. Maybe I was too young for it, but it blew my fucking mind. Manga was still only just creeping into our country more and more, but I'd read enough to expect big hair, big eyes, big breasts, and robots -- all the hallmarks -- and as such was blown away by the differently violent, cinematic, amoral, and exceedingly dark world of this series. The old American releases from the late 80s didn't even cover a third of the series, and w...more
There are over 25 books in the Lone Wolf and Cub series. A Japanese student told me that the series was still going on. Considering I have read over 8 over these books, with almost no major plot development, I do not think I will be buying the entire series for a long time, and until Goodreads comes up with a way to review an entire series, I will consider this review a review for as much of the series I read.
Essentially the book a collection of stories that take place in late 16th century Japa...more
Essentially the book a collection of stories that take place in late 16th century Japa...more
Nov 24, 2008
Angus
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
historical fiction buffs, those interested in knighthood beyond the British Isles, romantics
Recommended to Angus by:
Jeff Derose
Please, please, try the Lone Wolf and Cub series.
The art of "comic book" storytelling, while not exactly a lost art in the States, is nevertheless not something particularly prized here; comic book readers seem to be objects of scorn and ridicule to mainstream folk, lumped in with those who attend renaissance faires and Star Trek conventions as people perhaps not right in the head.
In Japan however, the reading of comic books, or manga, as the format is more properly called, is as common a practi...more
The art of "comic book" storytelling, while not exactly a lost art in the States, is nevertheless not something particularly prized here; comic book readers seem to be objects of scorn and ridicule to mainstream folk, lumped in with those who attend renaissance faires and Star Trek conventions as people perhaps not right in the head.
In Japan however, the reading of comic books, or manga, as the format is more properly called, is as common a practi...more
I LOVE Lone Wolf & Cub. Such a great concept, excellent execution and amazing story telling. The sense of dread that hangs over Koike and Kojima's feudal Japan, the grey skies, battle scarred towns and country sides and colorful cast of characters are incredible.
This nifty little volume (which I found at a thrift store for $.99!) includes nine episodes in the life of Ogami and Daigoro, the assassins known as Lone Wolf and Cub. I'm not sure if these are the first nine issues of the First Comi...more
This nifty little volume (which I found at a thrift store for $.99!) includes nine episodes in the life of Ogami and Daigoro, the assassins known as Lone Wolf and Cub. I'm not sure if these are the first nine issues of the First Comi...more
Ill be reviewing this book as a whole for the series due to the fact I dont want to go through all 28 volumes on here. This title comes up a lot in interviews with various comic creators like Frank Miller, and with good reason. I believe the page count is somewhere around 8700 pages ( according to the ever correct Wikipedia) with no pages a waste. I would have thought with that many volumes and pages that you would have a throw-away story here or there but you dont. Each tale is a slice of life...more
This was my first foray into this classic series, and damn if it wasn't a blast. These short tales of a vicious but principled ronin and his Edo period exploits are gory, at times lurid, and translated with what I can only assume is uninspired fidelity, but they are nevertheless amazingly compelling. Lone Wolf's swordplay is (obviously) unbeatable, but his convoluted sense of honor and his equally byzantine stratagems were what kept me rapt. That and the brilliant and utterly Japanese visuals.
I...more
I...more
This is an epic about Ogami Itto and his toddler son Daigoro, who are choosing the path of hell in their mortal lifes. Itto, a highly skilled swordman and a shogun's second, became an assassin-for-hire right after his son was born in a gruesome situation. Itto, known latter as The Lone Wolf, should agree with the motivations of anyone who hires him before conducting the assassination; thus the stories are mostly valued by the morals at that time (the setting was the Edo period in Japan). Sword s...more
Jul 27, 2011
Rebecca Haslam
added it
The main words I would use to describe this book are; dramatic, intense and cinematic. This sort of story isn't normally my thing, but I was drawn towards the interesting story and the main character. The story is exciting and engaging, and the artwork is just stunning.
This series has around 26 volumes I think, which is a lot of reading, but I think it could be a very rewarding read as an entire series, if not just for a casual reader reading one or two books.
This series has around 26 volumes I think, which is a lot of reading, but I think it could be a very rewarding read as an entire series, if not just for a casual reader reading one or two books.
An excellent beginning to this series. A lone assassin with a child. This has the makings of an epic story, and as we learn why he walks the path that he does, we see the character gaining depth. The stories in this volume range from heavy action to very moving moments. Having read Samurai Executioner, and having enjoyed, I can see I will enjoy this series as well. Excellent writing and stories. Good art, and a fast pace. A good overall combination.
I actually read all of the volumes. Art is great and in the writing the support characters have rich stories. They explain a lot of Japanese society and terms through the story and also the glossary. While the author is not trying to constantly shock you with gore you should be warned it's pretty graphic(dismemberment, breasts etc.) and brutal(rape, torture etc) at time it is not for the squeamish.
I named my studio Seppuku Tattoo, & it was because I have walked the road of meifumado with Ogami-dono. Most people scoff at comics as a medium, but Lone Wolf & Cub is one of the collections I hand to people who don't think of it as literature. Great stories of sacrifice, intrigue, honor & loyalty, concepts the average American is woefully ignorant of. Here's to the six ways & the four lives.
May 11, 2009
Rory
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of graphic novels / Japan / awesomeness
Shelves:
creme-de-la-creme,
graphic-novels-comics
This is a really satisfying morsel of a book. It's a graphic novel--not quite manga--small in dimensions but big in themes and explosive in action. (Though as I write it's not manga, I'm not sure what I'm talking about. It's not like I'm an expert on the stuff. Maybe it is.)
The main gist of all the short segments is: incredible for-hire samurai warrior journeys around Japan with his darling 3-year-old son, fighing the good fight (when he can) and generally being a complete bad-ass. His son is o...more
The main gist of all the short segments is: incredible for-hire samurai warrior journeys around Japan with his darling 3-year-old son, fighing the good fight (when he can) and generally being a complete bad-ass. His son is o...more
1 like · like · see review
I'm only going to put one book for the whole series instead of listing every graphic novel, this one will represent the whole.....this is also probably the only comic I will review on this site. This is an amazing comic....AMAZING!! Written in the 70's by the brilliant creator of the series Kazuo Koike combined with the groundbreaking cinematic visuals of the late Goseki Kojima. The series follows samurai turned ronin Ogami Itto and his son Daigoro as they try to reclaim their families honor dur...more
This is a great manga.
The story about father and son, and their journey together in the path of asura.
Their determination, endurance, and pride.
The ending is really touching for we do what we have to do.
It is irreversible what we do, so we cannot avoid the outcome of what we do.
The story about father and son, and their journey together in the path of asura.
Their determination, endurance, and pride.
The ending is really touching for we do what we have to do.
It is irreversible what we do, so we cannot avoid the outcome of what we do.
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Kazuo Koike (小池 一夫, Koike Kazuo) is a prolific Japanese manga writer, novelist and entrepreneur.
Early in Koike's career, he studied under Golgo 13 creator Takao Saito and served as a writer on the series.
Koike, along with artist Goseki Kojima, made the manga Kozure Okami (Lone Wolf and Cub), and Koike also contributed to the scripts for the 1970s film adaptations of the series, which starred famou...more
More about Kazuo Koike...
Early in Koike's career, he studied under Golgo 13 creator Takao Saito and served as a writer on the series.
Koike, along with artist Goseki Kojima, made the manga Kozure Okami (Lone Wolf and Cub), and Koike also contributed to the scripts for the 1970s film adaptations of the series, which starred famou...more
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“A father knows his child's heart, as only a child can know his fathers.”
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updated Feb 03, 2013 02:32pm
Feb 09, 2013 12:10am