Scan barcode
deathbyspreadsheet's review against another edition
3.0
I'm tired of redundant character development and apparently pointless vignettes. Praying an overarching plot kicks in for the next volume.
cchapple's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, this was a hell of a reread. The storytelling is so good, and the art. The last chapter in this had my heart racing. A fantastic classic.
starcrossedstacks's review against another edition
2.0
This book is important for many reasons, but I found myself struggling to finish this omnibus.
geekwayne's review against another edition
5.0
'Lone Wolf and Cub Omnibus Volume 1' collects 16 stories from this iconic series that started in the 1970's. The stories take place in medieval Japan and follow Ogami Itto, a ronin, as he travels the land with his infant son Daigoro. Ogami's reputation is fierce and he seeks justice and revenge.
Kazuo Koike's stories are brilliant and depict a man who has been framed and ultimately wants revenge. He roams from village to village and always finds himself in the middle of a situation that can use his unique talent for violence. He is quick in battle and even quicker with his wits. Ogami is always one step ahead of his enemies, and, while that would seem contrived in other works, it serves to show the mind of a tactical thinker here.
The sparse artwork by Goseki Kojima perfectly illustrate the stories by Kazuo Koike. Serenity is broken by brutal violence. The art moves from spare outlines in peace, to vicious slashing lines during fights. There are many panels with no dialogue, but the pictures speak volumes. The brutality of fighting with edged weapons is not softened on these pages, so this is not a work for the faint of heart. The brutality of the assassin contrasts with the protectiveness of the father.
If you are not yet familiar with this series, I can not recommend it enough (unless the extreme violence is not appealing). The stories read like the very best in Japanese cinema, and Ogami Itto is a truly unique character.
Kazuo Koike's stories are brilliant and depict a man who has been framed and ultimately wants revenge. He roams from village to village and always finds himself in the middle of a situation that can use his unique talent for violence. He is quick in battle and even quicker with his wits. Ogami is always one step ahead of his enemies, and, while that would seem contrived in other works, it serves to show the mind of a tactical thinker here.
The sparse artwork by Goseki Kojima perfectly illustrate the stories by Kazuo Koike. Serenity is broken by brutal violence. The art moves from spare outlines in peace, to vicious slashing lines during fights. There are many panels with no dialogue, but the pictures speak volumes. The brutality of fighting with edged weapons is not softened on these pages, so this is not a work for the faint of heart. The brutality of the assassin contrasts with the protectiveness of the father.
If you are not yet familiar with this series, I can not recommend it enough (unless the extreme violence is not appealing). The stories read like the very best in Japanese cinema, and Ogami Itto is a truly unique character.
disfordilettante624's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
*Lone Wolf walks into town* “That guy looks badass, I bet he’s that well known assassin that’s been going around” “Hey dude I bet I could kill you” “Okay try” *Lone Wolf easily kills them and leaves town* That’s what this book is for 700 pages. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it but it’s repetitive.
sednadragon35's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This volume was interesting and I liked how this further developed Cub well and explored his character and agency. Yet I also loved how this explores the Wolf and Cub's relationship and how he knows that he should obey his father. Yet I found shocking washow far his father can plan in a fight.
dantastic's review against another edition
5.0
Framed by his enemies, Ogami Itto walks the Assassin's Path with his infant son Daigoro as... Lone Wolf & Cub!
Just before my son was born, I wrapped up Usagi Yojimbo and looked for another series to read. Months later, after watching The Mandalorian, I decided to pick this up. It was a long time before I could snag this first volume but was it ever worth it!
Lone Wolf & Cub has long been touted as one of the greatest manga of all time. It didn't take long to see why. Kojima's art is expressive and highly detailed. The action has a clarity to it that I find lacking in a lot of black and white works. There's also a far amount of gore, which was surprising at first but seems appropriate with all the decapitations and such.
The writing is superb as well. Kazuo Koike crafts a three dimensional character in Itto. He's far from the bloodthirsty killer he could have been, a philosophical warrior with deep love for his infant son. Koike and Kojima pit Ogami Itto up against bandits and other killers with Lone Wolf and Cub defeating the enemies through brain power as well as bloodshed.
Lone Wolf and Cub earns its reputation as a masterpiece of manga. 5 out of 5 naginatas.
Just before my son was born, I wrapped up Usagi Yojimbo and looked for another series to read. Months later, after watching The Mandalorian, I decided to pick this up. It was a long time before I could snag this first volume but was it ever worth it!
Lone Wolf & Cub has long been touted as one of the greatest manga of all time. It didn't take long to see why. Kojima's art is expressive and highly detailed. The action has a clarity to it that I find lacking in a lot of black and white works. There's also a far amount of gore, which was surprising at first but seems appropriate with all the decapitations and such.
The writing is superb as well. Kazuo Koike crafts a three dimensional character in Itto. He's far from the bloodthirsty killer he could have been, a philosophical warrior with deep love for his infant son. Koike and Kojima pit Ogami Itto up against bandits and other killers with Lone Wolf and Cub defeating the enemies through brain power as well as bloodshed.
Lone Wolf and Cub earns its reputation as a masterpiece of manga. 5 out of 5 naginatas.
clarks_dad's review against another edition
5.0
With the popular success of The Mandalorian and the transparently obvious influence of Lone Wolf and Cub on the series set up, I decided to finally read the series that has influenced so many of my favorite films and stories. While I've seen all six of the films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, I'll admit that it's been a while (perhaps ten years) and I'd never actually read the source material before. I can see how this series can be quite polarizing - producing die-hard, fanatical fans and disillusioned critics alike. All of the elements of samurai epic are present in spades from honorable one-on-one duels to slashfests with entire clans of bandits, so really what's not to love?
The main criticism I see from people who've read the first volume is that the story is so episodic that it verges on the repetitive. The flow of time is uncertain throughout the series and it's unclear at time what order the events are in. For example, the final tale in The Assassin's Road volume is the origin story of Lone Wolf and Cub and technically, from a plot point-of-view at least, it doesn't seem like it matters what order you read the other stories in. The larger narrative thread of vengeance only occasionally pops into the series, often after lengthy intervals, and that means for the uninitiated or uncommitted, the story might seem to lack direction. I think this criticism will probably resonate strongest with newer fans of manga or anime or comics in general that expect complicated long arc stories with cliffhangers at the end of each new episode/issue. For those audiences, many of the tales in the collection will feel like "fillers" and I can see how they'd lose interest. That being said, the texture of each episode in this volume definitely has a different emotional resonance. While many thematically deal with the concept of lost honor or corruption, the human elements, motivation of the characters, and unique circumstances often challenge the traditional understanding of such concepts in Japanese culture. While "the hooker with a heart of gold" might be cliche in 2019, it most certainly was not in 1970 Japan when the story was published.
Which brings me to the second criticism: Lone Wolf and Cub is cliche, and is just a running collection of samurai tropes from the village-defense plot line to the visual style of combat with duels that seemingly result in draws only for the protagonist to remain standing victorious after his opponent crumples from a stroke so masterful he didn't even know he'd been cut. Like the previous criticism, I think this will probably resonate with younger audiences used to polished and flashy battle scenes, which were all influenced by Lone Wolf and Cub. Think of it as the beta version of Japanese combat manga. It's been embellished (not necessarily improved upon) for the past FIFTY years and may not live up to modern audiences' more sophisticated and demanding standards.
So why five stars? Because it's a thoroughly original classic for its era. Because of its sprawling influence on modern cinema, both Eastern and Western. Because of its commitment to historical accuracy and realism. And because I like the forays into philosophy more and more at 39 years old. If you enjoy The Mandalorian, this is definitely its biggest influence, but you may not enjoy the pacing or traditional Japanese storytelling as much. Those with zero frame of historical reference will probably find the dialogue almost incomprehensible. There's a glossary, but fans looking for fast-paced action might not feel it worth the effort. If you're looking for a John Wick precursor, however, heavy on introspection about the meaning of life choices in the midst of massive body counts....then this is for you.
The main criticism I see from people who've read the first volume is that the story is so episodic that it verges on the repetitive. The flow of time is uncertain throughout the series and it's unclear at time what order the events are in. For example, the final tale in The Assassin's Road volume is the origin story of Lone Wolf and Cub and technically, from a plot point-of-view at least, it doesn't seem like it matters what order you read the other stories in. The larger narrative thread of vengeance only occasionally pops into the series, often after lengthy intervals, and that means for the uninitiated or uncommitted, the story might seem to lack direction. I think this criticism will probably resonate strongest with newer fans of manga or anime or comics in general that expect complicated long arc stories with cliffhangers at the end of each new episode/issue. For those audiences, many of the tales in the collection will feel like "fillers" and I can see how they'd lose interest. That being said, the texture of each episode in this volume definitely has a different emotional resonance. While many thematically deal with the concept of lost honor or corruption, the human elements, motivation of the characters, and unique circumstances often challenge the traditional understanding of such concepts in Japanese culture. While "the hooker with a heart of gold" might be cliche in 2019, it most certainly was not in 1970 Japan when the story was published.
Which brings me to the second criticism: Lone Wolf and Cub is cliche, and is just a running collection of samurai tropes from the village-defense plot line to the visual style of combat with duels that seemingly result in draws only for the protagonist to remain standing victorious after his opponent crumples from a stroke so masterful he didn't even know he'd been cut. Like the previous criticism, I think this will probably resonate with younger audiences used to polished and flashy battle scenes, which were all influenced by Lone Wolf and Cub. Think of it as the beta version of Japanese combat manga. It's been embellished (not necessarily improved upon) for the past FIFTY years and may not live up to modern audiences' more sophisticated and demanding standards.
So why five stars? Because it's a thoroughly original classic for its era. Because of its sprawling influence on modern cinema, both Eastern and Western. Because of its commitment to historical accuracy and realism. And because I like the forays into philosophy more and more at 39 years old. If you enjoy The Mandalorian, this is definitely its biggest influence, but you may not enjoy the pacing or traditional Japanese storytelling as much. Those with zero frame of historical reference will probably find the dialogue almost incomprehensible. There's a glossary, but fans looking for fast-paced action might not feel it worth the effort. If you're looking for a John Wick precursor, however, heavy on introspection about the meaning of life choices in the midst of massive body counts....then this is for you.
sirhcybe's review against another edition
2.0
Basically just too violent for me. I read it because I was told it was the closest manga came to literature. And I can see why some might consider it that but it the overwhelming amount of violence cheapened it for me. It's not that great art can't depict violence, it's that the art can't just be about the violence and Lone Wolf and Cub seemed to fundamentally just want to show a cool samurai guy effortlessly kill a bunch of people. Maybe the fault lies in me and there was more there than I can pick up on, there was definitely some Buddhist philosophy stuff that went a bit over my head, but unless someone can explain that to me I will remain unimpressed.
theknees_bees's review against another edition
3.0
closer to like 3.75
i enjoyed this this is one of those books/graphic novels im going to have to reread to understand (this also happened with the last book in the monstrumologist series) because i did enjoy this. a couple years ago i borrowed this from my library, but then i moved states and i had to return it and i couldn’t finish it. i only read the first few chapters.
the art i loved, but sometimes the fight scenes i had a hard time following them (but that might have just been me) i had to reread some passages a lot to understand (but right now i have been like. struggling to read lately so NOT THE BOOKS FAULT ITS MINE LMAO)
the fight scene in the final chapter was so cool. THAT was one i understood what was happening right away. ogami itto is so smart and calculated and this book reminded me how sharp samurai kept their swords. lol.
i enjoyed this this is one of those books/graphic novels im going to have to reread to understand (this also happened with the last book in the monstrumologist series) because i did enjoy this. a couple years ago i borrowed this from my library, but then i moved states and i had to return it and i couldn’t finish it. i only read the first few chapters.
the art i loved, but sometimes the fight scenes i had a hard time following them (but that might have just been me) i had to reread some passages a lot to understand (but right now i have been like. struggling to read lately so NOT THE BOOKS FAULT ITS MINE LMAO)
the fight scene in the final chapter was so cool. THAT was one i understood what was happening right away. ogami itto is so smart and calculated and this book reminded me how sharp samurai kept their swords. lol.