New Releases by Kazuo Koike

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!

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.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.

This volume contains the following stories:
Child of the Fields
In These Samll Hands
Kaii Triumph
The Last Cherry Blossoms
Stone Upon Stone

Ronin samurai Ogami Itto and his young son Daigoro travel a dark road, beset by enemies sworn to destroy the Lone Wolf and his Cub. But how did Ogami, once the shogun's loyal retainer and trusted executioner, become a dishonored fugitive marked for death by the shogun himself? What hidden forces moved to destroy Ogami's family and fuel his relentless quest for retribution?

Lone Wolf and Cub has sold over a million copies of its first Dark Horse English-language editions, and this acclaimed masterpiece of graphic fiction is now available in larger format, value-priced editions.