Lone Wolf and Cub ("Kozure Okami").

Tokyo: Futabasha,, 1972-76. A father knows his child's heart, as only a child can know his father First editions in book form, first printings, of the complete manga. Lone Wolf and Cub, an epic tale set in 18th century Japan, was first serialized in the seinen manga magazine Weekly Manga Action from September 1970 to April 1976. The series follows the disgraced samurai Ogami Itt and his three-year-old son Daigor on their quest for revenge. The series was an instant bestseller, and was adapted into six films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, the first two of which were edited and compiled into Shogun Assassin (1980), which in turn provided inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill (2003). The comics were a significant influence on Frank Miller, the ground-breaking American comic artist behind Sin City, Ronin, 300, and the re-imagining of Batman. Lone Wolf and Cub first appeared in English in 1987, published by First Comics. They shut down in 1991 before completing the series, and Dark Horse Comics took up the venture in September 2000, completing the run in December 2002. Frank Miller drew the covers for the First Comics editions before the English translation was available. The striking, pared-down visuals of Lone Wolf and Cub allowed him to read the comics despite the language barrier, and influenced the development of his own minimalist style. 28 vols, small octavos. Text in Japanese, first few pages of each vol. printed in colour, illustrated in black and white throughout. Original black and white wrappers printed in red, white, and black, red endpapers. With the dust jackets and wraparound bands. Spines creased, earlier vols leaning slightly, edges foxed extending to contents of a few vols, extremities rubbed, pale marks to a few vols, the occasional nick, never affecting text. Jackets and wraparounds largely bright, edges rubbed with sporadic creasing and occasional tiny chips at folds, silverfishing to wraparounds of vols. 27 and 28, rear fold of vol. 22 starting to split. A very good set indeed, presenting well in like jackets and wraparounds. See Toni Johnson-Woods, Manga: An Anthology of Global and Cultural Perspectives, 2009, p. 240.