New Releases by Kazuo Koike

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.

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

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.

Path of the Assassin, called Hanzo no Mon in Japan, is the story of Hattori Hanzo, the fabled master ninja whose duty it was to protect Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ieyasu was the shogun who would unite Japan into one great nation. But before he could do that, he had to grow up and learn how to love the ladies! As the secret caretaker of such an influential future leader, not only does Hanzo use vast and varied ninja talents, but in living closely with Ieyasu, he forms a close friendship with the young shogun. • Published in original Japanese format and unretouched which keeps the art intact. • This is a fifteen-volume story starring the legendary ninja and Kill Bill reference Hattori Hanzo. • Each volume comes shrink-wrapped and carries an 18+ content advisory. FOR MATURE READERS

Koike and Kojima''s story of the famed ninja, Hanzo Hattori and his trials and tribulations protecting the shogun-to-be, Tokugawa Ieyasu. Each page builds upon the relationship between the two warrirors and the women they love. Path of the Assassin, printed in the same size format as Lone Wolf and Cub and Samurai Executioner, this title is a wonderful addition to the Koike and Kojima samurai collection. • Published in the original Japanese format and unretouched which keeps the art intact. • This is a fifteen-volume story starring the legendary ninja and Kill Bill reference Hanzo Hattori. FOR MATURE READERS.

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.

Follows the adventures of Ogami Itto, a samurai framed and forced into exile with his infant son, as he pursues his quest for revenge against those who murdered his wife.

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 to 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 nation''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 who fear him, he is known as Crying Freeman, the killer who sheds tears at the fate of his victims. A young, handsome, sensitive artist, Yo has been hypnotically programmed by his Dragon masters to kill on command: he cannot resists his masters'' commands to kill; his masters cannot stop his tears of remorse. Written by the legendary Kazuo Koike, creator of Lone Wolf and Cub, and illustrated by the incomparable Ryoichi Ikegami, Crying Freeman is adult manga at its darkest.

From the pen of Kazuo Koike, of Lone Wolf and Cub fame, comes Lady Snowblood, the manga that eventually would become an inspiration for director Quentin Tarantino''s Kill Bill blockbuster films. 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.

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.

"Parental advisory: explicit content"--Cover.

The book is published "manga-style," in authentic Japanese right-to-left format.

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

As Samurai Executioner continues in its own world of crime and punishment, honor and bushido, we are beginning to learn more about the characters and situations involved in Edo-era justice. We learn about Kubikiri Asa, the shogun''s decapitator, and his stoic, joyless existence, with stories of his childhood and their impact on his present life. We also learn more about the peace officers of the era, such as Catcher Kasajiro, the charming young man who uses a hooked rope and a chained cudgel with such great skill.

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

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.

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

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.

Spring is a season of rebirth and delight, but not for Kubikiri Asa, the Shogun''s executioner. And for those condemned to lose their heads to Asa''s sword, this spring will be their final season. Samurai Executioner, the Edo-era samurai crime drama by Lone Wolf and Cub creators Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, continues down its path of heinous crime and diligent, bloody justice.

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 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. This volume contains the following stories: Corpse Tree Flute and Wave The Lotus Throne Empty Stirrups Arms

Hooooo doggy! 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! This volume contains the following stories: To Protect and Defend For Whom to Die Way of the Warrior, Way of Man Battle''s Eve Grass that Never Flowers