It’s a great time to be a samurai manga fan. Vagabond is currently receiving a deluxe edition, courtesy of VIZ, and now one of the greatest samurai stories ever told is getting the deluxe treatment. Dark Horse Comics is expanding its retinue of deluxe manga with a reprint of the cult-classic samurai tale, Lone Wolf and Cub. Dark Horse is arguably the industry leader when it comes to deluxe releases of manga, having previously released stunning editions of Berserk, Trigun, Blade of the Immortal, Planetes, and Hellsing.
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Written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Goseki Kojima, Lone Wolf and Cub is one of the most timeless and influential samurai manga of all time. The series was first serialized in Futabasha’s Weekly Manga Action back in 1970 and ran until 1976. Dark Horse already prints the paperback English editions, but the publishers are one-upping themselves with the new hardback releases.
Lone Wolf and Cub Finally Gets a Deluxe Edition Manga
Crunchyroll reports that Dark Horse Comics is currently working on a deluxe edition release for Lone Wolf and Cub. The trade paperbacks are getting a serious upgrade with the stunning new hardcovers. The report includes the concept covers, and Dark Horse is taking after its iconic Berserk deluxe editions with Lone Wolf and Cub‘s re-release.
The new covers take a minimalistic approach. The lettering on the logo remains the same, but the font has been refined and moved to the bottom right of the cover, with Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima’s names printed above. In the top left of the cover is a gorgeous art strip, with the volume number at the bottom. The cover itself is a muted shade of brown. It hasn’t been revealed if the covers will be leatherbound like Berserk or deluxe hardback like Blade of the Immortal.
Volume 1 of Lone Wolf and Cub‘s new deluxe editions goes on sale December 10th, with volume 2 following closely behind on March 24th. Each volume will comprise two and a half of the original paperback volumes. Five volumes have been planned in total. At the time of publication, the volumes are set to retail for $54.99 each.
Lone Wolf and Cub Is a Criminally Underrated Series
It might seem strange to call Lone Wolf and Cub underappreciated, given its resounding influence on the samurai genre, manga, and Japanese cinema. But the series certainly doesn’t get the respect and love it deserves from contemporary audiences. In this writer’s opinion, Lone Wolf and Cub should be put on the same pedestal as the aforementioned Vagabond, Berserk, and Blade of the Immortal. Hopefully, the new deluxe editions will reignite passion for the series.
The official synopsis for Lone Wolf and Cub reads, “ลgami Ittล, once the shogunโs executioner, has fallen from grace after false accusations by a rival clan. With his wife murdered and with his three-year-old son to protect, he chooses the path of the ronin, the masterless samurai. Together, the lone wolf and his cub wander feudal Japan. All roads will lead them to a single destination โ vengeance.”
H/T: Crunchyroll
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