Lone Wolf and Cub TPB (2000-2002 A Dark Horse Digest) comic books 2002-2004

Volume 17 - 1st printing. "Will of the Fang!"

Written by Kazuo Koike. Art by Goseki Kojima. Cover by Bill Sienkiewicz.

The epic journey of Ogami Itto and Daigoro continues in this stunning volume! A female yakuza and her band are ordered to catch Lone Wolf and Cub, but the authorities aren't counting on a woman's heart. Meanwhile, the Yagyu have called in Japan's most deadly bounty hunters, and offer an even greater reward - can the Lone Wolf trust anyone around him, when the lure of wealth tempts even seemingly harmless peasant folk? And with Daigoro feverish and near death's door, can Lone Wolf and Cub make it through a winter gale to safety?

Softcover, 4-in. x 6-in., 320 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $9.95.

Volume 18 - 1st printing. "Last Kurokuwa!"

Written by Kazuo Koike. Art by Goseki Kojima. Cover by Bill Sienkiewicz.

The Shogun himself has given Retsudo a stern warning: do something about Itto Ogami, the Lone Wolf, or the Yagyu clan will fall out of favor. Now Retsudo must turn to the Fire Watchers, a select band of warriors, for help - as well as the last surviving members of the legendary Kurokuwa ninja clan! As death stalks him, Ogami is confronted by desperate, impoverished peasants who want him to share his fortune with the suffering. With Ogami's cub, Daigoro, caught in the middle, what will he decide? Find out what everyone can't stop talking about.

Softcover, 4-in. x 6-in., 320 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $9.95.

Volume 19 - 1st printing. "Moon in Our Hearts!"

Written by Kazuo Koike. Art and cover by Goseki Kojima.

The Eisner and Harvey Award-winning series continues! The time for delay is past. Itto Ogami and Daigoro are headed for Edo, to face Retsudo of the Yagyu once and for all! Stalked by bounty hunters and killers after their reward money, the Lone Wolf now faces deadlier enemies still. Retsudo has called out the nation's most accomplished rifleman, and dispatched a cannon-laden man of war, to intercept the father and son as they navigate treacherous cliffs and the high seas of Japan!

Softcover, 4-in. x 6-in., 320 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $9.95.

Volume 20 - 1st printing. "A Taste of Poison!"

Written by Kazuo Koike. Art and cover by Goseki Kojima.

A quest for vengeance wouldn't be complete without a little poison. Having tired of his retainer's futile attempts at reining in the unstoppable samurai, the shogun himself sends Abeno Kaii, a master of poison, to join the Yagyu in their hunt for ronin Itto Ogami and his little boy Daigoro. Armed with a sack full of poison and a network of streetwalking spies, Abeno creeps ever closer to the father and son. Soon Ogami and Daigoro find themselves surrounded on all sides, facing deadly secret agents, murderously seductive prostitutes, and a river of poison flowing all around them!

The Eisner and Harvey Award winning series rolls ever onward with five more stories of intrigue and intensity.

Softcover, 4-in. x 6-in., 320 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $9.95.

Volume 21 - 1st printing. "Fragrance of Death!"

Written by Kazuo Koike. Art and cover by Goseki Kojima.

As the trail of blood and honor gets deeper and longer, corruption and double crossings abound. Two considerably evil and ambitious forces, previously teamed to finally kill the vengeful samurai Ogami Itto, clash in the torrential rains that continue to pound Edo. Determined to be the first to reach Ogami Itto and his son Diagoro, the shogun's own poisoner waits in a temple where the samurai and his toddler boy left their cart, reflecting on the path that has led him to this point, and brewing his most deadly poison. And the fiery Retsudo won't be stopped in his quest to kill Ogami, however now he must be wary of the poisoner's crafty ways.

Meanwhile, the Lone Wolf and Cub enlist the aid of a tailor to help them prepare for what could be their last stand! There's something in the air, and it smells like death!

Softcover, 4-in. x 6-in., 320 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $9.95.

Volume 22 - 1st printing. "Heaven and Earth!"

Written byKazuo Koike. Art and cover by Goseki Kojima.

Rain. Poison. Explosives. Vengeance. It's a deadly combination that forms a volatile mixture of deceit, betrayal, and hate as the final showdown between Lone Wolf assassin Ogami Itto and his nemesis Retsudo begins. While the torrential rains continue to pound Edo, the fiery Retsudo and his bloodthirsty Yagyu army rush along the banks of the swelling Hatcho River, racing to beat a load of explosives that's traveling down the other side, heading right into the hands of the vengeful samurai Ogami. Meanwhile, the cunning poisoner Abeno sees his chance to destroy both sides as they run headlong on their collision course - he's going to flood all of Edo! Forced to put their battle aside, Ogami and Retsudo find themselves fighting side by side to save all of Edo from the floods, while Ogami's little son Daigoro wanders alone, fighting for his life and searching for his father! It's a deluge of evil, and it threatens to wash away all that stands in its path!

Every story in each new volume of Lone Wolf and Cub is being presented to American readers for the first time! A true roller coaster ride all the way to the finish!

Softcover, 4-in. x 6-in., 388 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $9.95.

Volume 23 - 1st printing. "Tears of Ice!"

Written by Kazuo Koike. Art by Goseki Kojima. Cover by MATT WAGNER.

Holy hand grenades! Edo is flooded, and by flooded, we mean crazy-flooded. Bridges are crumbling, rivers are washing past retaining walls, and everything in Edo is floating away, including our vengeful ronin, his foe, and his little boy. In an ironic show of samurai respect, little Cub Daigoro gets saved by the conniving Retsudo Yagyu. And proving he can lend a hand, too, Lone Wolf Ogami pulls someone to safety as well - but maybe he should have let him drown. Eventually, the two opposing master swordsmen dry off and go head to head in a sword fight of a thousand stances and couple of days length. This seems like it could be the deciding bout between the two, unless that nasty, Abeno Kaii gets in the way, and he seems to do that a lot lately.

Softcover, 4-in. x 6-in., 320 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $9.95.

Volume 24 - 1st printing. "In These Small Hands!"

Written by Kazuo Koike. Art by Goseki Kojima. Cover by MATT WAGNER.

The true meaning of Bushido, the warrior code, oozes from every page of this volume. A little boy desperately attempts to drag his ronin father to safely, even if it costs him his own life; that same wandering samurai and his mortal enemy work together to save the frostbitten fingers of the same little boy, knowing they will eventually match swords again in a battle to the death; another samurai bites his own tongue, killing himself and locking a dark secret in his grave. The code of the samurai is complex and rich with irony, which is why so few carry this code through life. But as we draw closer to the conclusion of this epic struggle, the true bushi are stepping forth and showing their colors. It will truly be a fight to the finish. So, in these final days, a ronin and his young boy will visit the grave of their murdered wife and mother. It just might be the last Spring the two will share, like the many petals falling from branches.

Softcover, 4-in. x 6-in., 320 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $9.95.

Volume 25 - 1st printing. "Perhaps in Death!"

Written by Kazuo Koike. Art by Goseki Kojima. Cover by MATT WAGNER.

The mortal enemy of our ronin hero, Retsudo Yagyu has been imprisoned in Edo castle by the shogun. It seems the conniving poisoner, Abeno Kaii, has exposed the Yagyu letter! And Yagyu's jailer is none other than the poisoner himself, determined to feed Retsudo the dose that will end his life in a pit of dishonor. But Yagu has spies even in Edo caslte, and a message is sent to his "grass," members of the clan hiding in secret, living as normal townspeople throughout Japan. It is up to them to give their lives in this final hour of desperate need. Meanwhile, Itto Ogami is living in a shack and training his little boy for the day when he must protect the battlefield with his own little hands. Still, two swords remain in this field of death, awaiting the two hands that will draw them from the soil and bring us closer to the end of our tale.

Softcover, 4-in. x 6-in., 320 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $9.95.

Volume 25 - 2nd and later printings. "Perhaps in Death!"

Written by Kazuo Koike. Art by Goseki Kojima. Cover by MATT WAGNER.

The mortal enemy of our ronin hero, Retsudo Yagyu has been imprisoned in Edo castle by the shogun. It seems the conniving poisoner, Abeno Kaii, has exposed the Yagyu letter! And Yagyu's jailer is none other than the poisoner himself, determined to feed Retsudo the dose that will end his life in a pit of dishonor. But Yagu has spies even in Edo caslte, and a message is sent to his "grass," members of the clan hiding in secret, living as normal townspeople throughout Japan. It is up to them to give their lives in this final hour of desperate need. Meanwhile, Itto Ogami is living in a shack and training his little boy for the day when he must protect the battlefield with his own little hands. Still, two swords remain in this field of death, awaiting the two hands that will draw them from the soil and bring us closer to the end of our tale.

Softcover, 4-in. x 6-in., 320 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $9.95.

Volume 26 - 1st printing. "Struggle in the Dark!"

Written by Kazuo Koike. Art by Goseki Kojima. Cover by MATT WAGNER.

One could believe the old adage about the grass being greener on the other side. But, if you're referring to the "other side" of the Sanzu, the river between life and death, chances are it will be white, the color of a samurai's death robes. And a lot of that "grass" was probably dispatched by the hand of Itto Ogami. The Yagyu "grass," spies planted for years in local citizenry, has been on the move, gathering in Edo for a final battle. The ronin Itto Ogami has walked a path of demons with Daigoro at his side, on a quest of vengeance and death that has shaken the very foundations of the samurai caste and the shögunate. No one has been able to stop him, not even the crafty, Abeno Kaii and it looks like he's about see his final day, but he won't go out without a battle of wits!

Only three more volumes until the long-awaited conclusion of Lone Wolf and Cub. And when it's over, you'll only want to read it again.

Softcover, 4-in. x 6-in., 312 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $9.95.

Volume 27 - 1st printing. "Battle's Eve!"

Written by Kazuo Koike. Art by Goseki Kojima. Cover by Guy Davis.

The tension is getting so thick, a dotanuki wielded by the strongest samurai would have a hard time cutting through it! Just two more volumes left until one of the world's most classic pieces of comic-book literature reaches its exciting and emotional conclusion. Two swords remain planted in the ground, awaiting the final duel between the conniving Retsudo and the vengeful Itto, and little Daigoro guards the two blades with his life. Indeed, his life is threatened when a stampede of villagers escaping a burning village almost plow him into the dirt. Impressed townfolk decide to stop and help him, staying for a while on the same beach. For once, Daigoro experiences the joy of being a child, playing with the other children, but that peace won't last long. Yaygu Retsudo, imprisoned in the castle of the shögun, deceives his way to freedom and commands the very last members of the Yagyu ninja to kill Itto! But knowing swords alone won't kill him, Yagyu sends a strange and fascinating weapon to the battlefield, the exploding ninja!

The thrilling epic claws its way to an unexpected conclusion! A truly influential work. One of the best comic books ever (if not THE best)!

Softcover, 4-in. x 6-in., 304 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $9.95.

Volume 28 - 1st printing. "Lotus Throne!"

Written by Kazuo Koike. Art by Goseki Kojima. Cover by Guy Davis.

What exactly needs to be said in solicitation copy for the VERY LAST VOLUME OF LONE WOLF AND CUB? It's the moment you've all been waiting years and years to read. It's the end of the long path the ronin father and son have been on since the boy's birth. Through unimaginable violence and bad weather, across hundreds of miles of blood-soaked roadbeds, over years of tragedy and anguish, to this final 320 pages of still-epic story, Itto and Daigoro have kept us holding on to what little hope exists in a world where honor is all but forgotten and warriors are obsolete. It's a bloody battle all the way to the finish, with dramatic twists and turns right up to the final page.

Stay with us as we conclude the translation of what will always be considered one of the finest examples of comic-book mastery ever created, Lone Wolf and Cub.

Softcover, 4-in. x 6-in., 320 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $9.95.

Volume 28 - 2nd and later printings. "Lotus Throne!"

Written by Kazuo Koike. Art by Goseki Kojima. Cover by Guy Davis.

What exactly needs to be said in solicitation copy for the VERY LAST VOLUME OF LONE WOLF AND CUB? It's the moment you've all been waiting years and years to read. It's the end of the long path the ronin father and son have been on since the boy's birth. Through unimaginable violence and bad weather, across hundreds of miles of blood-soaked roadbeds, over years of tragedy and anguish, to this final 320 pages of still-epic story, Itto and Daigoro have kept us holding on to what little hope exists in a world where honor is all but forgotten and warriors are obsolete. It's a bloody battle all the way to the finish, with dramatic twists and turns right up to the final page.

Stay with us as we conclude the translation of what will always be considered one of the finest examples of comic-book mastery ever created, Lone Wolf and Cub.

Softcover, 4-in. x 6-in., 320 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $9.95.