Deckard's Recommendation of the Week

Genre Manga
Writer Goseki Kojima
Publisher Dark Horse Comics
Published Japan/US 2000 - 2003, 28 issues

Printed for the first time in its original Japanese format, Dark Horse is currently publishing Lone Wolf and Cub - one of the most powerful sagas to be released within the comic book medium.

It is a genuine and authentic landmark in graphic fiction and is to be published in its entirety (7000 pages worth) for the first time in America. This is a true samurai epic, an adventure on a scale so staggering it encompasses every minute detail of Japanese life during the Edo period. This is a tale which is acknowledged worldwide for Kazuo Koike's brilliant writing and the late Goseki Kojima's groundbreaking cinematic prowess. The series created unforgettable visuals of sheer beauty - a kinetic fury and thematic power that influenced a generation of visual storytellers, both in Japan and in the West.

Released monthly at £7.50, there will eventually be 28 volumes, each at approximately 300 pages. We accompany Ogami Itto and his son, Daigoro, as they follow the path of the assassin and escape their arch enemy, Yagyu Retsudo.

The stories are as good as you get and the drawings contain such grace and detail that you see them as a piece of cinema - epic landscapes and subtle references to the way the weapons are held and the movement as a samurai sword is sheaved. Usually the battles are over in seconds, fast and graceful, a mixture of blurred lines and gushing blood - this is no choreographed stand-off, but more of a realistic and fast death, which, although a little repetitive, shows how unstoppable and skilled Ogami is.

The characters are very life-like and the dialogue is as sharp as a samurai sword. The different challenges Ogami faces are unique and interesting. There is a Buddhist mythology that runs throughout the story, with beliefs and traditions inserted to help the reader understand a way of thinking. You learn a lot about Buddhism and Japanese history while reading Lone Wolf and Cub and, like James Clavell’s Shogun, it is a deeply involving experience.

This is a timeless classic of pure scope and magnitude that rivals the cinematic experiences of Akira Kurosawa, an excellent place to start if you are curious about the Japanese psyche and history. Its scholarly research stands out a mile and depicts the brutality, twisted views, dishonesty and thuggish attitude of Japan at the time.

The characters are so real, it is as though you know them personally and have been through exactly what they have. To me, Daigoro is irreplaceable and an important part of his father's journey and the reason they are there. A chip off the old block, he is as much a wolf as his dad - the way of the warrior imprinted on him from birth and the experiences he shares with his father develops this. He has an innocent demeanor, which is used at times to deceive their enemies.

The explicit violence may be too extreme for some and yet is not without purpose. Ogami is one of the purest and greatest action heroes you will ever see. He has the skills of the martial arts stars, the strength of Schwarzenegger and the inventiveness of Bond.

The format and design of this series is superb. The 22 volumes look very attractive on the shelf, with subtle pastel colour bars to distinguish each issue, as they wrap around the spine, with a smaller version of the cover image by comic book artists Frank Miller, Bill Sienkiewicz and Matt Wagner.

Some people may think £7.50 a month is a lot. I disagree. Although a fast read, these are hefty graphic novels. Visit your local comic shop and take a look at an issue. At 300-odd pages, they are a similar format to a novel and just as involving.

Go on. Treat yourself.