New Releases by KAZUO KOIKE

If Art of War tactics and ninjitsu arts pique your interest, Path of The Assassin is the quasi historical samurai manga you''ve been waiting for! From the legendary comics creators Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima of Lone Wolf and Cub fame comes the story of Japan''s greatest shogun and his rise to power through the battles and intrigues of his late teens. Central to the story is a young ninja who must go to great lengths in order to secure victory for the boy who would become the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. Based loosely on fabled tales of the age, Path of the Assassin is an exciting and sexy series.

From the pen of Kazuo Koike, of Lone Wolf and Cub fame, comesLady Snowblood. A story of pure vengeance, Lady Snowblood tells the tale of a daughter born of a singular purpose, to avenge the death of her family at the hands of a gang of thugs, a purpose woven into her soul from the time of her gestation. Beautifully drafted and full of bloody, sexy action, Lady Snowblood lives up to its title and reputation. • From Kazuo Koike, writer of Lone Wolf and Cub, Crying Freeman, and Samurai Executioner. FOR MATURE READERS

Lady Snowblood is a woman born with a singular purpose, revenge. Revenge for the death of her father at the hands of greedy criminals. Revenge for the life of her mother, who birthed her in a prison to continue this demon''s path of death. Sometimes this path is odd, sometimes sexy, often painful, and always violent. By means of a world''s worth of skills, Lady Snowblood will find her revenge. But who knows what lies at the end of this path. • Skillfully written by Kazuo Koike of Lone Wolf and Cub fame and master-drafted by Kazuo Kamimura, Lady Snowblood is a sexy story of a woman bound by dire desires.

The path of revenge can have many twisted turns, and Lady Snowblood''s is no exception. Born in a prison, a product of her mother''s grudge, Yuki is a child of hell. What will she do for revenge? Pose as a nun? Become another woman''s lover? Possibly. In this volume we learn about Yuki''s training and youth, see her woo some allies, and embark on the first steps of her angry path. Written by Kazuo Koike of Lone Wolf & Cub fame, Lady Snowblood is a tale of a woman''s path in hell. FOR MATURE READERS

As samurai were losing their bearings in a time of change, Yuki brought back the demonic spirit of vengeance. And the good part about this last volume of Lady Snowblood is that she saved her most hated targets for last. Yet, in the midst of a maelstrom of sex and violence, the reader will still catch a few glimpses of warmth and human compassion. That''s because Kazuo Koike, the creator of the popular Lone Wolf & Cub manga, knows how to build around good characters, and Lady Snowblood is certainly no exception. See how it all ends in volume 4, the second part of "Retribution." • From Kazuo Koike, writer of Lone Wolf & Cub, Crying Freeman,and Samurai Executioner. • Lady Snowblood is published in the authentic Japanese format. FOR MATURE READERS

Separated from his son while battling Yagu assassins, Itto Ogami''s mission of retribution heats to a boil as he cuts through any obstacle to find his missing child. But little Daigoro, though a mere toddler, is the son of the most formidable and resourcefull samurai in the land. Though alone in a cruel world, Daigoro has the heart of a warrior! Created by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, 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.

Created by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, 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. Separated from his son while battling Yagu assassins, Itto Ogami''s mission of retribution heats to a boil as he cuts through any obstacle to find his missing child. But little Daigoro, though a mere toddler, is the son of the most formidable and resourcefull samurai in the land. Though alone in a cruel world, Daigoro has the heart of a warrior!

Once the loyal and respected retainer of the shogun and now a discraced exile, master swordsman Ogami Itto travels a path of vengeance with his young son, Daigoro. As the authors of the honorable Itto’s fall, the Yagyu clan will stop at nothing to bury their secret treachery, and Itto will stop at nothing to bury the Yagyu! Created by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, 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.

Collects materal previously published in the Dark Horse graphic novels Samurai Executioner. Volume 3: The hell stick; Samurai Executioner. Volume 4: Portrait of death; Samurai Executioner. Volume 5: Ten fingers, one life.

The roads of feudal Japan are rife with brigands ready to separate travelers from their purses. For Ogami Itto and his infant son, the road is even more treacherous, as agents of the shogun and the assassins of Yagyu Retsudo dog their every step. But each step on the bloody road brings the Lone Wolf and his Cub ever closer to Yagyu... and to vengeance! 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.

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.

A samurai epic of staggering proportions, the acclaimed Lone Wolf and Cub begins its second life at Dark Horse Manga with new, larger editions of over 700 pages, value priced. The brilliant storytelling of series creator Kazuo Koike and the groundbreaking cinematic visuals of Goseki Kojima create a graphic-fiction masterpiece of beauty, fury, and thematic power.

Join renegade samurai Itto Ogami and his infant son, Daigoro, in five more adventures on the dark road to Hell. What do three mysterious Shogunate assassins, a street entertainer, and the crests of the dead have in common? "The Baby Cart Wolf" continues his dealing of death for gold and encounters one ronin who is bent on putting a stop to his journey. Will he succeed? Follow the monthly adventures of Lone Wolf and Cub, one of the true classics of comics literature, available in America for the first time in over a decade! This volume contains the following stories: The Flute of the Fallen Tiger Half Mat, One Mat, A Fistful of Rice The White Path Between the Rivers The Virgin and the Whore Close Quarters

For the past fourteen volumes Hanzo''s long walk down the tightrope of political intrigue and human melodrama has been bloody, dramatic, and awe inspiring. Every page filled with the densely researched and poignant delivery you''ve come to expect from the godfathers of samurai manga. Lone Wolf and Cub creators Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, experts ofgekiga samurai manga, deliver the penultimate volume of Path of the Assassin.

This volume of Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima''s rich series finds Ieyasu both fighting for his life and looking the the future. First, a couple of eerie and mysterious ninja try to take his life, but find themselves foiled by the increasingly able ninja Hattori Hanzo. And then a nationn''s tribes face off and spin through intrigue and tactical webworks, all while fascinatingly dark ninja politics weave subtext and sexy action throughout the masterly-drafted pages.

"He is Yo Himomura, deadly assassin for the 108 Dragons, the Chinese Mafia. But to the criminal underworld that fears him, he is known as Crying Freeman, the killer who sheds tears at the fate of his victims. Young, handsome, sensitive, an artist, Yo has been psychologically programmed by his Dragon masters to kill on command: he cannot resist his masters'' commands to kill, they cannot stop his tears of remorse."--Page [4] of cover, v. 1.

It''s not easy being Hattori Hanzo. If he''s not teaching the young and upcoming shogun how to love, then he''s either behind the scenes teaching Ieyasu how not to die in case of a momentary lapse of protection. Or he might be in the shadows making sure Ieyasu''s leadership is effective by any means necessary. In this quasi-historical tale from the masters of Japanese samurai culture, Path of the Assassin shows a side of feudal japan that entertains with action as well as political drama.

A master ninja''s duty is to protect the boy who would grow up to become Shogun and unify Japan.

A master ninja''s duty is to protect the boy who would grow up to become Shogun and unify Japan.

A master ninja''s duty is to protect the boy who would grow up to become Shogun and unify Japan.

"Parental advisory: explicit content"--Cover.

A master ninja''s duty is to protect the boy who would grow up to become Shogun and unify Japan.

Two members of the Green Berets survive the vicious battle and they pit themselves against Keisukes group. Their travels take them onto Keisukes aircraft carrier and a strong battle of wills ensues.

Offered GN #2

Relates the adventures of Kubikiri Asa, known as the Decapitator Asaemon, who was responsible for testing the swords for the shogun.

Yuki works as a master assassin, living out an old tradition of vengeance for crimes committed against a family she never met.

Relates the adventures of Kubikiri Asa, known as the Decapitator Asaemon, who was responsible for testing the swords for the shogun.

The Shogun''s executioner has received many strange last requests from those about to lose their head, some stranger than others. A woman condemned for murder wants her locks severed by the killing blade to be given to a lost love. An old man asks that his own decapitation follow that of his prized chrysanthemum, and that his executioner grow another from its cuttings. And elsewhere, the woman who once stole the weapons of samurai policemen is asked to serve as a cop herself to use her own unique skills to help solve a puzzling murder.

From the creators of Lone Wolf and Cub comes Samurai Executioner. It’s true! Before Koike and Kojima created Itto Ogami, they created Kubikiri Asa, better known to Lone Wolf readers as Decapitator Asaemon. He was the equal to Itto, bearer of the sword Onibocho, the man charged with the duty of testing the swords for the shogun. Samurai Executioner is based on the decapitator himself, in life before his fatal duel with Lone Wolf. Expect the same legendary drama, frantic action, and stoic samurai stature, combined with the exemplary art and storytelling that made Lone Wolf and Cub one of the most popular and influential comic books in the world! • Never before published in America, Samurai Executioner was the precursor to one of the most seminal works of manga, Lone Wolf and Cub! • Since the inception of its Lone Wolf and Cub publishing program in 2000, Dark Horse has sold over 800,000 copies! And the series continues to sell thousands per month! • FOR MATURE READERS.