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新・子連れ狼 [Shin Kozure Ookami] #1
New Lone Wolf and Cub, Volume 1
Kazuo Koike's "Lone Wolf and Cub" is an acclaimed masterpiece of graphic fiction, and "New Lone Wolf and Cub" ("Shin Kozure Okami") is the 21st century sequel to this groundbreaking manga. Ogami Itto, the Lone Wolf, and his nemesis, Yagyu Retsudo, lie dead on the field of their titanic duel. Ogami's young son, Daigoro, will not leave his father side, and none dare help the child, none save Togo Shigetada, a samurai on a desperate and deadly mission of his own! Written by legendary series creator Kazuo Koike, illustrated by Hideki Mori ("Bokko"), translated by Dana Lewis.
216 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
February 26, 2017
I really dislike comicbook publishing. We all know Darkhorse is going to repackage this as an 'omnibus' like they have the original series. Now its just a waiting game...
That being said this was a really fun read. Much better than expected, although it lacks the depth that earlier volumes had. (also it would have been nice to have got this book when it first came out like 10 years ago. It's weird that I feel like this is a brand new book when in reality it was written and released in Japan before I had even read the first series)
It takes place immediately after the last Lone Wolf volume and it makes me wonder why Koike left the series for 30 years before starting this one.
Update:
Just re-read this today (Jan 2016, first time was Oct 2014). I was overly pessimistic the first time I read this. I think its on par with Lone Wolf and Cub (atleast as far as volume to volume goes, time will tell if it stands up to it in its entirety). The afterword by Koike, that I guess I didn't read the first time, explains why he decided to continue the story in 2000, 24 years after completing the original. He's also extremely honorable to the legacy of the original artist Goseki Kojima. He was affected greatly by the man's death and says that without Goseki his career as a writer would be non-existent.
I've read the first 6 volumes of this so far and I can easily recommend it to fans of the series, or really anyone that is interested in reading a beautifully rendered period piece about Japan with lots of sword fighting and intriguing spirituality.
That being said this was a really fun read. Much better than expected, although it lacks the depth that earlier volumes had. (also it would have been nice to have got this book when it first came out like 10 years ago. It's weird that I feel like this is a brand new book when in reality it was written and released in Japan before I had even read the first series)
It takes place immediately after the last Lone Wolf volume and it makes me wonder why Koike left the series for 30 years before starting this one.
Update:
Just re-read this today (Jan 2016, first time was Oct 2014). I was overly pessimistic the first time I read this. I think its on par with Lone Wolf and Cub (atleast as far as volume to volume goes, time will tell if it stands up to it in its entirety). The afterword by Koike, that I guess I didn't read the first time, explains why he decided to continue the story in 2000, 24 years after completing the original. He's also extremely honorable to the legacy of the original artist Goseki Kojima. He was affected greatly by the man's death and says that without Goseki his career as a writer would be non-existent.
I've read the first 6 volumes of this so far and I can easily recommend it to fans of the series, or really anyone that is interested in reading a beautifully rendered period piece about Japan with lots of sword fighting and intriguing spirituality.
March 30, 2024
This was better than I expected, but worse than I had hoped.
We begin exactly where we left off with Daigoro standing by the dead bodies of his father and Retsudo on the Hatcho strand. The first few chapters were quite good, showing Daigoro’s hopeless plight and introducing our new ‘wolf’ Togo Shigekata, a wandering samurai who finds the lone child in the midst of this strange plight and is destined to be the next warrior to take the cub under his wing. Understandably it takes some time for Daigoro to trust the new samurai and for his new guardian to appreciate the strange child he has stumbled upon, but in the end they come to an understanding.
We find that with the end of the Yagyu clan of assassins, the kogi kaishakunin of clan Ogami, and the official taster/poisoner Abe there remains but the Hattori clan of ninja spies in the hierarchy of special retainers to the shogun (a clan we’ve never heard of before and who didn’t play into the triumvirate of power behind the throne of the previous series at all) who hope to reap the benefits of the destruction of their rivals by both disposing of the wolf cub Daigoro and using the new wolf to further a plan of their own. They also hope to pillage the secret cache of Itto’s fee as an assassin (which I thought he had use as part of his plan to expose the Yagyu, but whatever) to further their place at the shogun’s court. They are led by an intriguing figure: an apparently hermaphroditic ninja counselled by an old crone.
Koike is obviously doing some ret-conning here to allow the story to continue, but unfortunately it’s starting to look like it will simply be more of the same with wave after wave of attackers beaten off by the consummate skill of our new samurai hero Shigekata as underhanded schemes dog the steps of our intrepid duo. So far our new surrogate Lone Wolf is once again forced to deal with the secret machinations of a deadly clan seeking power behind the scenes whose goal is to kill our heroes. Am I mistaken or does Koike have something new to say? I suppose only time, and a few more volumes, will tell.
So far the story has been a bit weird and may simply swerve back into more of the same, but there is enough to indicate it just might go somewhere unexpected to make me think it’s worth hanging on for a bit longer.
We begin exactly where we left off with Daigoro standing by the dead bodies of his father and Retsudo on the Hatcho strand. The first few chapters were quite good, showing Daigoro’s hopeless plight and introducing our new ‘wolf’ Togo Shigekata, a wandering samurai who finds the lone child in the midst of this strange plight and is destined to be the next warrior to take the cub under his wing. Understandably it takes some time for Daigoro to trust the new samurai and for his new guardian to appreciate the strange child he has stumbled upon, but in the end they come to an understanding.
We find that with the end of the Yagyu clan of assassins, the kogi kaishakunin of clan Ogami, and the official taster/poisoner Abe there remains but the Hattori clan of ninja spies in the hierarchy of special retainers to the shogun (a clan we’ve never heard of before and who didn’t play into the triumvirate of power behind the throne of the previous series at all) who hope to reap the benefits of the destruction of their rivals by both disposing of the wolf cub Daigoro and using the new wolf to further a plan of their own. They also hope to pillage the secret cache of Itto’s fee as an assassin (which I thought he had use as part of his plan to expose the Yagyu, but whatever) to further their place at the shogun’s court. They are led by an intriguing figure: an apparently hermaphroditic ninja counselled by an old crone.
Koike is obviously doing some ret-conning here to allow the story to continue, but unfortunately it’s starting to look like it will simply be more of the same with wave after wave of attackers beaten off by the consummate skill of our new samurai hero Shigekata as underhanded schemes dog the steps of our intrepid duo. So far our new surrogate Lone Wolf is once again forced to deal with the secret machinations of a deadly clan seeking power behind the scenes whose goal is to kill our heroes. Am I mistaken or does Koike have something new to say? I suppose only time, and a few more volumes, will tell.
So far the story has been a bit weird and may simply swerve back into more of the same, but there is enough to indicate it just might go somewhere unexpected to make me think it’s worth hanging on for a bit longer.
April 14, 2015
Writing a review for a sequel to a series that will forever stand out to me as one of the all-time greatest achievements in story telling is extremely difficult. I discovered the original Lone Wolf and Cub at a time in my life where the values depicted therein (loyalty, duty, family, marriage, and fatherhood) rang out loudly to me from the pages of Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima’s master work.
Hearing that Kazuo planned to do a sequel in 2002 following the death of the Lone Wolf’s co-creator in 2000 left me concerned. Their work on this series would never be repeated. I was also unsure it even needed to have a sequel. While I was curious about Diagoro’s fate, the final scene was flawless to me and the quest could not have ended any other way.
So how about a review, right? New Lone Wolf and Cub picks up immediately upon the ending of the final chapter of the original series. After starting the book I realized I did want to see what happened to young Cub and was captivated quickly by the boy’s plight. I think fans of the original series will be similarly interested the moment they start the book. Kazou’s writing style remains consistent to the first series and his characters remain in a historical fiction landscape. Several new characters are introduced and some old ones reappear (love that fucking cart). While he is not Ogami, I like Togo Shigekata so far and am curious to see how he evolves as his journey with Diagoro continues.
The artwork WAS a huge concern of mine as well. Goseki defined the look of the entire original series (drawing every volume) and replacing him with the right person was tremendously important. Kazou did well in choosing a student of Goseki, Hideki Mori, who appropriately respects the foundation laid by his mentor. Hideki is obviously a skilled artist whose black and white illustrations look remarkably like Goseki’s. I again think that admirers of the original will not be disappointed.
Overall I enjoyed this new beginning for Diagoro and Lone Wolf and Cub enthusiasts probably will as well. Wouldn’t recommend this to someone that has not read the original series. You’ll probably be a little lost. Also, the books are shorter than the original Dark Horse digests and read in the traditional Japanese right to left format. This could prove difficult to follow for someone unfamiliar with manga and make for a clumsy read. I sort of like the novelty of the right to left and this avoids the necessary mirroring of illustrations (making right handed characters appear left handed in images) when converting traditional Japanese comics to the left to right format. Some fans of the original complained about this. Not something that bothered me at all.
Ultimately this is a very thoughtful, respectful, and enjoyable addition to the original Lone Wolf and Cub tale. Reading Kozou’s epilogue reveals how much the loss of his friend, the first series, and the importance of maintaining the story’s integrity meant to him. This was not a blatant cash grab on his part and I truly believe his love of the characters and his own need to get past Goseki’s death and continue with Diagoro’s quest was what motivated him to create this title.
Hearing that Kazuo planned to do a sequel in 2002 following the death of the Lone Wolf’s co-creator in 2000 left me concerned. Their work on this series would never be repeated. I was also unsure it even needed to have a sequel. While I was curious about Diagoro’s fate, the final scene was flawless to me and the quest could not have ended any other way.
So how about a review, right? New Lone Wolf and Cub picks up immediately upon the ending of the final chapter of the original series. After starting the book I realized I did want to see what happened to young Cub and was captivated quickly by the boy’s plight. I think fans of the original series will be similarly interested the moment they start the book. Kazou’s writing style remains consistent to the first series and his characters remain in a historical fiction landscape. Several new characters are introduced and some old ones reappear (love that fucking cart). While he is not Ogami, I like Togo Shigekata so far and am curious to see how he evolves as his journey with Diagoro continues.
The artwork WAS a huge concern of mine as well. Goseki defined the look of the entire original series (drawing every volume) and replacing him with the right person was tremendously important. Kazou did well in choosing a student of Goseki, Hideki Mori, who appropriately respects the foundation laid by his mentor. Hideki is obviously a skilled artist whose black and white illustrations look remarkably like Goseki’s. I again think that admirers of the original will not be disappointed.
Overall I enjoyed this new beginning for Diagoro and Lone Wolf and Cub enthusiasts probably will as well. Wouldn’t recommend this to someone that has not read the original series. You’ll probably be a little lost. Also, the books are shorter than the original Dark Horse digests and read in the traditional Japanese right to left format. This could prove difficult to follow for someone unfamiliar with manga and make for a clumsy read. I sort of like the novelty of the right to left and this avoids the necessary mirroring of illustrations (making right handed characters appear left handed in images) when converting traditional Japanese comics to the left to right format. Some fans of the original complained about this. Not something that bothered me at all.
Ultimately this is a very thoughtful, respectful, and enjoyable addition to the original Lone Wolf and Cub tale. Reading Kozou’s epilogue reveals how much the loss of his friend, the first series, and the importance of maintaining the story’s integrity meant to him. This was not a blatant cash grab on his part and I truly believe his love of the characters and his own need to get past Goseki’s death and continue with Diagoro’s quest was what motivated him to create this title.
February 7, 2017
Last year I read the entire Lone Wolf and Cub series, so I'm kicking off this year by reading the entire New Lone Wolf and Cub series.
This picks up just at the ending of the original series, with Daigoro on the beach along with..well, I won't use spoilers. Daigoro is aided by what I guess is another wandering ronin, so we soon find things very much as they were before, with Cub in a baby cart being pushed by a samurai. There's also an elaborate plot going on around the pair, which I hope becomes more clear with time.
The series is good, and the art is probably as close to the original as we can get. The problem I have so far is it seems too much like a not as good copy of the original series. Things feel just like the original series but the main character has changed. Hopefully as the series moves along it will develop its own "voice", so to speak, and stand on its own. I will say, however, even if it just stays a redoing of the original, it will still be pretty good I think.
This picks up just at the ending of the original series, with Daigoro on the beach along with..well, I won't use spoilers. Daigoro is aided by what I guess is another wandering ronin, so we soon find things very much as they were before, with Cub in a baby cart being pushed by a samurai. There's also an elaborate plot going on around the pair, which I hope becomes more clear with time.
The series is good, and the art is probably as close to the original as we can get. The problem I have so far is it seems too much like a not as good copy of the original series. Things feel just like the original series but the main character has changed. Hopefully as the series moves along it will develop its own "voice", so to speak, and stand on its own. I will say, however, even if it just stays a redoing of the original, it will still be pretty good I think.
June 13, 2014
I don't believe it.Kozure Okami continues with Daigoro.
Danger still lurks as the boy with the masterswordsman eyes finds a new guardian .
Welcome back Koike sensei.
With new artist Mori who captured Goseki sensei previous art brilliantly.
Danger still lurks as the boy with the masterswordsman eyes finds a new guardian .
Welcome back Koike sensei.
With new artist Mori who captured Goseki sensei previous art brilliantly.
July 19, 2023
Someone put a copy of this in my LFL yesterday, and I was interested to take a peek into such a classic Japanese story that had influenced and inspired so many other stories. This particular volume is a new beginning in the story, but without the context of the previous saga it was definitely a bit hard to follow along. The scenes with Daigoro and Tōgō needed no explanations. :) But it wasn’t until the ‘Commentary’ at the end that I learned who Daigoro’s father was, or whether he had been good or bad.
If you want to understand the story of Lone Wolf and Cub, I imagine a story from the first series would be a better place to start. But this is a good sampling if you’re just interested to get a feel for the type of story and characters and to recognize elements that have since been taken up by other storytellers.
If you want to understand the story of Lone Wolf and Cub, I imagine a story from the first series would be a better place to start. But this is a good sampling if you’re just interested to get a feel for the type of story and characters and to recognize elements that have since been taken up by other storytellers.
February 6, 2015
I was hesitant to pick this up, in case it compared badly to the original classic, but this direct sequel [picking up no more than hours after the original series] is quite impressive. It is NOT a good jumping-on point, so quickly run out and read the original series. No, really, the whole thing, because this is as much a continuation of the story as it is a sequel.
The amazing thing is that Kazuo Koike found an artist who can work in a style so similar to that of the original artist, and at a level of quality which compares favorably. That is apparently what had kept him from writing this story sooner.
For those of you who have read the original series, this continues from the outcome of the showdown sword fight at the end of the last volume. A new subplot comes out of the political machinations, and accidentally revolve around Daigoro. See, I told you to go read the original work!
Enter Togo Shigetada, a very different man, but also a skilled swordsman, and he and Daigoro go off on a very different kind of quest. Even the baby carriage from the original series makes a cameo appearance!
I did not give it a fifth star because I felt that the notes were not as complete as they could have been, in explaining several concepts and terms. Also, the continuing use of a regional dialect by the new main character takes some getting used to.
The amazing thing is that Kazuo Koike found an artist who can work in a style so similar to that of the original artist, and at a level of quality which compares favorably. That is apparently what had kept him from writing this story sooner.
For those of you who have read the original series, this continues from the outcome of the showdown sword fight at the end of the last volume. A new subplot comes out of the political machinations, and accidentally revolve around Daigoro. See, I told you to go read the original work!
Enter Togo Shigetada, a very different man, but also a skilled swordsman, and he and Daigoro go off on a very different kind of quest. Even the baby carriage from the original series makes a cameo appearance!
I did not give it a fifth star because I felt that the notes were not as complete as they could have been, in explaining several concepts and terms. Also, the continuing use of a regional dialect by the new main character takes some getting used to.
September 17, 2014
I was disappointed in this. Decades after the last story, we restart it with the same scenario where Daigoro is pushed around in a cart, the *same* cart as before with the guns and hidden weapons, by a samurai that adopts him? This is a real missed opportunity for some fresh dramatic content. It would have been far better to see Daigoro try to survive and grow up on his own.
October 17, 2022
Pretty much the Mandolorian in Edo-period Japan.
But of course, Mando stands in a long line of stories about tough warriors protecting a child with a father's heart. It's an irresistible plot concept!
The art here is incredibly expressive and immersive! Certainly much more violent than Stan Sakai'a samuari stories 🙈. Only real complaint is the pacing seemed odd. The first 65 pages of high emotion move in slow motion (which I liked), and then after that it seems like our main characters just get attacked again and again without any real meaningful breaks.
I had no clue until the epilogue from the author that this is a sequel to a beloved classic (NEW being the first word in the title should've tipped me off). I guess that is a testament to its ability to stand on its own, but now I have some backtracking to do (28 volumes worth!) before I continue with this...
But of course, Mando stands in a long line of stories about tough warriors protecting a child with a father's heart. It's an irresistible plot concept!
The art here is incredibly expressive and immersive! Certainly much more violent than Stan Sakai'a samuari stories 🙈. Only real complaint is the pacing seemed odd. The first 65 pages of high emotion move in slow motion (which I liked), and then after that it seems like our main characters just get attacked again and again without any real meaningful breaks.
I had no clue until the epilogue from the author that this is a sequel to a beloved classic (NEW being the first word in the title should've tipped me off). I guess that is a testament to its ability to stand on its own, but now I have some backtracking to do (28 volumes worth!) before I continue with this...
May 28, 2017
This is a sequel to the classic "samurai takes boy on the run" manga series, and it follows a pretty similar premise. Lots of swordplay and dramatic shouting alongside beautiful, moody black-and-white artwork. Some of the interactions and characterization feel a bit cliched, but it's dynamic and holds the attention.
July 13, 2017
Koike is one of the great storytellers and his new artist is remarkable. Lone Wolf and Cub is my all time fave. This new series has been terrific so far!
February 22, 2023
A worthy continuation of the original series, by the same writer. Though the illustrator is new, his style is very much reminiscent of his predecessor.
July 3, 2023
I love the films & now its time to start reading the manga. Reading out if order until I coolect all of the original manga series.
September 22, 2018
It wasn't long after I first finished reading Lone Wolf and Cub that I discovered with some excitement that a sequel was being published in Japan. English-speaking fans waited and waited for news of it reaching our shores, but it would take about another eight years for it to be published in English. On top of that, despite having bought each volume as it came out, it's taken me about four years to finally get around to reading the series, so it's been a long time coming for me. Probably that's for the best though, as each volume is so short I think it would be frustrating to read one volume at a time, so here I am with the whole series ready to go.
The question is, can it possibly live up to the masterpiece that is the original LW&C series? I think with just 200 pages in this volume, it's too little to tell just yet, but there are some promising signs. Hideki Kojima's artwork is both true to the feel of the original, while being distinct from it - there's a more detailed, hyper-real feel. I like this because it marks it out as a different series, while staying true to the late Goseki Kojima's designs (in the afterword, Kazuo Koike talks about being very determined to respect Kojima's part in the creation of the characters). We even get a little bit of colour at the very start of the volume, which is something I hadn't seen before. I think there may have been places where LW&C was published in colour, but I've never seen them.
Story-wise, this carries on from the very moment LW&C ended, and we get what I felt was a very fitting rounding off of where things were left. One reason I was apprehensive about a sequel was that the ending was not only so perfect, but had a large element of ambiguity that a sequel could easily ruin. However, having decided to do a sequel, I think they got it right, and the very poignant opening chapters reassured me that we're still in good hands.
As for the newer story elements, I'm only a little concerned that the political machinations are a bit hard to follow in this one, and not necessarily as clearly portrayed as they were before. Characters get a bit bogged down in explaining stuff and it can be convoluted. The new main character Togo Shigekata, is wisely a very different character to Ogami Itto - much more talkative for one thing - and it's interesting to see Daigoro interact with him and I'm curious as to how this relationship will develop.
As far as the publishing and translation goes, I had a couple of quibbles regarding some of the choices made here. Togo's dialogue retains a lot of his colloquialisms, in order to better give the impression of him speaking in a very localised dialect. Although the terms are picked up pretty easily along the way, it's somewhat jarring and takes the flow out of his dialogue. It's also yet another thing you have to refer to the back of the book for. Dana Lewis' translation is generally excellent once again, but I'm not sure the effect is really a fair equivalent of how Japanese readers would perceive his dialogue, and I wondered if there might have been a better way to achieve this.
The preservation of certain Japanese terms that was present in the original series is also done here, so readers will be familiar with the whole thing of looking up words in the glossary - and as with LW&C it can be frustrating at times when the translation is selective about what to include in the glossary. Another feature has been added here, however, which is the inclusion of footnotes relating to specific pages. These are necessary to understand certain relevant points of Japanese history, but it can be a lot to deal with on top of the glossary.
On a particularly nitpicking note, the sound effects have been left in Japanese, unlike in the original series (which I always like in manga partly because they're often part of the artwork, and also because I can read them) but there are little boxes giving an English version of the sound effects. Personally I'd prefer not to have these but of course lots of people can't read Katakana so I understand why they're there. What was kind of annoying, though, is that they're usually not the same as the Japanese. The famous 'Gara Gara' of the babycart's wheels, for example, is rendered as 'rmb rmb' here. Even non-Japanese readers would be familiar with the original sound effect since the Japanese onomatopoeia were generally preserved phonetically in the original series, so this just seemed like an odd choice.
I could never expect this series to live up to the original, but it's a positive start. I think it will need some settling into, but I'm looking forward to the next volume.
The question is, can it possibly live up to the masterpiece that is the original LW&C series? I think with just 200 pages in this volume, it's too little to tell just yet, but there are some promising signs. Hideki Kojima's artwork is both true to the feel of the original, while being distinct from it - there's a more detailed, hyper-real feel. I like this because it marks it out as a different series, while staying true to the late Goseki Kojima's designs (in the afterword, Kazuo Koike talks about being very determined to respect Kojima's part in the creation of the characters). We even get a little bit of colour at the very start of the volume, which is something I hadn't seen before. I think there may have been places where LW&C was published in colour, but I've never seen them.
Story-wise, this carries on from the very moment LW&C ended, and we get what I felt was a very fitting rounding off of where things were left. One reason I was apprehensive about a sequel was that the ending was not only so perfect, but had a large element of ambiguity that a sequel could easily ruin. However, having decided to do a sequel, I think they got it right, and the very poignant opening chapters reassured me that we're still in good hands.
As for the newer story elements, I'm only a little concerned that the political machinations are a bit hard to follow in this one, and not necessarily as clearly portrayed as they were before. Characters get a bit bogged down in explaining stuff and it can be convoluted. The new main character Togo Shigekata, is wisely a very different character to Ogami Itto - much more talkative for one thing - and it's interesting to see Daigoro interact with him and I'm curious as to how this relationship will develop.
As far as the publishing and translation goes, I had a couple of quibbles regarding some of the choices made here. Togo's dialogue retains a lot of his colloquialisms, in order to better give the impression of him speaking in a very localised dialect. Although the terms are picked up pretty easily along the way, it's somewhat jarring and takes the flow out of his dialogue. It's also yet another thing you have to refer to the back of the book for. Dana Lewis' translation is generally excellent once again, but I'm not sure the effect is really a fair equivalent of how Japanese readers would perceive his dialogue, and I wondered if there might have been a better way to achieve this.
The preservation of certain Japanese terms that was present in the original series is also done here, so readers will be familiar with the whole thing of looking up words in the glossary - and as with LW&C it can be frustrating at times when the translation is selective about what to include in the glossary. Another feature has been added here, however, which is the inclusion of footnotes relating to specific pages. These are necessary to understand certain relevant points of Japanese history, but it can be a lot to deal with on top of the glossary.
On a particularly nitpicking note, the sound effects have been left in Japanese, unlike in the original series (which I always like in manga partly because they're often part of the artwork, and also because I can read them) but there are little boxes giving an English version of the sound effects. Personally I'd prefer not to have these but of course lots of people can't read Katakana so I understand why they're there. What was kind of annoying, though, is that they're usually not the same as the Japanese. The famous 'Gara Gara' of the babycart's wheels, for example, is rendered as 'rmb rmb' here. Even non-Japanese readers would be familiar with the original sound effect since the Japanese onomatopoeia were generally preserved phonetically in the original series, so this just seemed like an odd choice.
I could never expect this series to live up to the original, but it's a positive start. I think it will need some settling into, but I'm looking forward to the next volume.
June 13, 2014
Lone Wolf and Cub is one of my favorite stories, a 28-volume comic book detailing the conflict between a lone samurai left with his four-year old son, and the ninja clan that murdered the rest of his family. Remarkably for such a long series, Lone Wolf and Cub had an ending that brought the entire story to both a new height and an immensely satisfying close.
And then there was a sequel...
The first volume of New Lone Wolf and Cub picks up immediately after the ending of its predecessor, and it immediately feels like a bit of a letdown. But that's inevitable, as it has the daunting task of introducing a new cast of characters and the complicated relationships and motivations that bind them all together. Hopefully successive volumes will let the story fly full force; until then, all I can say is that New Lone Wolf and Cub does not spit upon the story that came before. For now, that's more than enough for me.
Sidenote: reading Lone Wolf and Cub causes me a sort of existential dread that I never quite understood until I read a line in the sequel: "A warrior's sword is his soul! His life!" The concept of extending your being past your own self is both wonderful and terrifying: you become greater than what you were, but you also risk increased vulnerability and a greater sort of death - not of the physical self, but of the very conception of who you are.
Right now there is only one thing in the world I feel that way about. That thing brings me both transcendent joy and endless fear for its absence. In fact I can't really conceive of the latter; it would turn me into an entirely different person, and I have no idea what sort of person that would be.
The characters in Lone Wolf and Cub take this to extremes. Samurai are their honor; assassins are their capability to kill their target. One of the most poetically chilling lines in the series: "A shinobi lives with a blade in his heart." A ninja is his mission, willing to sacrifice anything and everything in pursuit of his goal.
It is a majestic concept, and one that would be easy to romanticize and turn into an ideal. But I think Lone Wolf and Cub is better than that: it also shows the terrible inhumanity that can be the result. I think it is the latter that sparks the dread I feel whenever I read the story.
And then there was a sequel...
The first volume of New Lone Wolf and Cub picks up immediately after the ending of its predecessor, and it immediately feels like a bit of a letdown. But that's inevitable, as it has the daunting task of introducing a new cast of characters and the complicated relationships and motivations that bind them all together. Hopefully successive volumes will let the story fly full force; until then, all I can say is that New Lone Wolf and Cub does not spit upon the story that came before. For now, that's more than enough for me.
Sidenote: reading Lone Wolf and Cub causes me a sort of existential dread that I never quite understood until I read a line in the sequel: "A warrior's sword is his soul! His life!" The concept of extending your being past your own self is both wonderful and terrifying: you become greater than what you were, but you also risk increased vulnerability and a greater sort of death - not of the physical self, but of the very conception of who you are.
Right now there is only one thing in the world I feel that way about. That thing brings me both transcendent joy and endless fear for its absence. In fact I can't really conceive of the latter; it would turn me into an entirely different person, and I have no idea what sort of person that would be.
The characters in Lone Wolf and Cub take this to extremes. Samurai are their honor; assassins are their capability to kill their target. One of the most poetically chilling lines in the series: "A shinobi lives with a blade in his heart." A ninja is his mission, willing to sacrifice anything and everything in pursuit of his goal.
It is a majestic concept, and one that would be easy to romanticize and turn into an ideal. But I think Lone Wolf and Cub is better than that: it also shows the terrible inhumanity that can be the result. I think it is the latter that sparks the dread I feel whenever I read the story.
February 4, 2017
30 or so years after the original series wrapped up Koike decided to revisit the manga classic. Ot call it a "Manga Classic" is to deny it's pulp culture success. The movie series is legend, the TV series was more popular that the comic and the combined impact of the movies, TV series and comics have influenced countless properties since. I loved the original series that Dark Horse put out years ago in "Little Big Book" style reprints. I'll admit to some trepidation here, the series had a brilliant end. How or why would you continue it?
I'm pleased to say that this one works. Taking place immediately after the end of the first series, this one finds a wandering swordsman stumbling upon the aftermath and taking Daigoro under his wing. It's a bit forced for sure, the odds of a second deadly sword master finding the "Wolf Boy" is a bit ridiculous but it works. Instead of being a complete copy-cat to Ogami, this new swordsman has a completely different outlook on life and it's this tone that make this opening chapter more interesting. It makes you forget that this is an unnecessary continuation at it's heart.
I'm excited. This one is hitting all my Samurai buttons. I can't wait to continue on and see where Daigoro's story goes.
I'm pleased to say that this one works. Taking place immediately after the end of the first series, this one finds a wandering swordsman stumbling upon the aftermath and taking Daigoro under his wing. It's a bit forced for sure, the odds of a second deadly sword master finding the "Wolf Boy" is a bit ridiculous but it works. Instead of being a complete copy-cat to Ogami, this new swordsman has a completely different outlook on life and it's this tone that make this opening chapter more interesting. It makes you forget that this is an unnecessary continuation at it's heart.
I'm excited. This one is hitting all my Samurai buttons. I can't wait to continue on and see where Daigoro's story goes.
February 5, 2017
I came across this manga by mere accident while picking up my pull from a retailer. To be completely honest, I've never been much of a manga reader, except for Junji Ito's classics, since I was raised in the “tradition” of american comic book industry. That been said, there are two points, both positive, that I'd like to stress about this fine piece of work (the rest been already said by other reviewers):
1. The art is truly remarkable. It's very dynamic, subtle at times, and craftily rendered. Even when there's not a narrator to guide you through some situations, the art speaks for itself.
2. The narrative stands very well on its own. I've only perused the original series (Lone Wolf and Cub) in the internet, since getting the whole run in book form within my country is both difficult & expensive. But this story is (almost) self contained and has terrific readability, which makes it a plus for the non initiated —like myself.
I just can't wait to put my hands on the next volume of the series.
1. The art is truly remarkable. It's very dynamic, subtle at times, and craftily rendered. Even when there's not a narrator to guide you through some situations, the art speaks for itself.
2. The narrative stands very well on its own. I've only perused the original series (Lone Wolf and Cub) in the internet, since getting the whole run in book form within my country is both difficult & expensive. But this story is (almost) self contained and has terrific readability, which makes it a plus for the non initiated —like myself.
I just can't wait to put my hands on the next volume of the series.
December 31, 2015
Brilliant.
Lone Wolf and Cub is one of my favourite stories ever; the ending was fantastic and entirely appropriate (whilst still being a surprise and a shock), and I wouldn't have ever thought that it needed further telling.
But this is fantastic. The artist does an amazing job of honouring Goseki Kojima, rendering the characters entirely recognisable, without plagiarising the style entirely.
The story picks up exactly at the end of Lone Wolf and Cub Volume 28, and makes entire sense - I won't say too much for fear of spoilers, but it's a great start to the next series. It's maybe too short and too reliant on set-up to give it the full five stars, but that's not really a fault of the book itself at this stage, more inherent in the format.
Lone Wolf and Cub is one of my favourite stories ever; the ending was fantastic and entirely appropriate (whilst still being a surprise and a shock), and I wouldn't have ever thought that it needed further telling.
But this is fantastic. The artist does an amazing job of honouring Goseki Kojima, rendering the characters entirely recognisable, without plagiarising the style entirely.
The story picks up exactly at the end of Lone Wolf and Cub Volume 28, and makes entire sense - I won't say too much for fear of spoilers, but it's a great start to the next series. It's maybe too short and too reliant on set-up to give it the full five stars, but that's not really a fault of the book itself at this stage, more inherent in the format.
January 1, 2016
I absolutely loved that this series came back, and with all the intensity of its predecessor! The artwork is stunning as always and manages to portray such plot-heavy movement without cluttering the text and the images.
June 24, 2014
5/30/14 Good stuff. Review tk.
6/12/14 http://www.iwantmytwodollars.com/2014...
6/12/14 http://www.iwantmytwodollars.com/2014...
June 18, 2014
This was my thrill discovery during a visit to a comic book shop. I have loved Lone Wolf and Cub for years. This is the series that will drag me back to the comic book shop.
August 6, 2014
I have waited for this one for more than 20 years. It was a good continuation. Now I need the next.
August 8, 2014
Amazing .read it and see .
July 13, 2014
Surprised that I really dug it.
March 20, 2017
Highly recommended, especially for fans of the original series. I was highly skeptical - the original is my favorite comic of all time - but I was pleasantly surprised by this first volume.
February 26, 2017
Re-reading the whole saga, now that the 11th (and last) book is out... a great story!
January 7, 2015
Feels like a solid continuation of the original series, though it's been many years since I finished it. The art feels very contiguous as well, which makes a big difference.
November 14, 2014
Good, if repetitive continuation of the Kozure Ogami story. Have to admit, the story where Daigoro finally cries over the death of his father, is really moving for a comic book.
April 23, 2016
Vart tvungen att sluta läsa på bussen för att jag började böla, och det blev bara bättre efter det. Perfekt start på en ny framtida klassiker.
February 21, 2021
Não é a genial série clássica, mas é muito bom.
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