Jan. 29-Feb. 4: A True Bushi
By Michael Deeley
"I will enter the shima."
The first words of Ogami Itto,
Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 1
Glorious. Simply glorious.
I have spent the last four weeks re-reading my copies of the 'Lone Wolf and Cub' books. 28 volumes, almost 9,000 pages, released over the course of 2 years and 4 months. I've spent over $300 dollars on this series, and I don't regret it. 'Lone Wolf and Cub' is one of, if not the, greatest graphic stories ever created.
The series was first published in Japan in 1970. Created by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, the series soon became a multi-media sensation. The talented Koike and Kojima earned a reputation as one of manga's finest teams, creating many successful manga series in the 70s and 80s. Koike was also active in film, writing the movie adaptations of 'Lone Wolf and Cub' and 'Crying Freeman', another popular manga of his. Recently, Koike started the Gekiga Sonjuku, a college course designed to help artists and writers break into the manga industry. Goseki, sadly, passed away in January 2000. Towards the end of his life, he was working on graphic novels based on the films of Akira Kurosawa. But his work lives on; to inspire new generations of artists and writers, and amaze readers for years to come.
I can't easily explain why 'Lone Wolf' is great. I just recognize its perfection. I think it's a combination of elements: the characters, the action, the art, the history, the dialogue, and the purity. Yes, purity. Ogami Itto is one of only a handful of characters in comics to be completely dedicated to a single idea. His entire life is determined by an all-encompassing, unchanging philosophy. He acts on what he believes is right. Thus, he is a true hero in the classical sense.
'Lone Wolf' is a character-driven series. All of the action surrounds one man, Ogami Itto. Itto was the Kogi Kaishakunin, the royal executioner. It was his task to behead the feudal lords who committed seppuku, ritual suicide. Itto had the privilege to wear the shogun's royal crest. Thus, he was seen as the representative of the shogun's will, a symbol that only the shogun had power over life and death.
But Itto's position was coveted by the Yagyu, the family that provided the shogun with assassins. The Yagyu, led by clan leader Retsudo, killed Ogami's family and planted evidence that made Itto look like a traitor. Only Itto's infant son, Diagoro, born as his mother was dying, survived the Yagyu's attack. When ordered by the shogun to commit seppuku, Itto refused. He became an assassin to earn enough money to expose the Yagyu's treachery and avenge his family.
Over the next four years, Itto and Daigoro walk meifumado, the Buddist path of demons and damnation. They abandon all trappings of humanity, becoming demons themselves. Early in the series, Itto destroys all sense of his self and achieves the state of purity Buddists call "mu". "Mu" is the emptiness from which all things come and all things return. For Itto, it means there is nothing for him except the assassin's road. He has no desire beyond the moment. No thought for himself or his son. No life except when he kills. He is nothing but his skills and bushido, the warrior's code; man and sword acting as one; existing for the single purpose of bringing death to his enemy. He is forever in "shima", the zone of death where one finds life.
He is the most frightening character I have ever encountered. You can FEEL his emptiness! With every move, with every word, you can feel his intensity in battle, his dedication to his honor, and those few, rare moments when his heart is touched by another. Ogami Itto destroyed everything that made him human and came out stronger. He transcended his humanity to become a force of nature.
And his son was with him every step of the way. Daigoro, who knew nothing of life, save the violence he saw daily, also learned his father's purity. He, too, has reached a state of purity. He, too, has no humanity. This boy has a stronger spirit than most men. And it seems to come naturally to him. He is a born samurai. I wonder how the son of Ogami Itto would surpass his father.
The fact that I am scared of a fictional character is a credit to the work of Koike and Kojima. Through their dialogue, the characters reveal themselves. Itto is fiercely loyal to the principles of bushido, the warrior code of behavior and battle. For Itto, bushido means to seek death with all your heart. Only then can you truly live. Retsudo, his enemy, also lives by a code of honor. Retsudo believes the secrets he keeps from his shogun are necessary to retain the shogun's power. Retsudo believes his family to be a "necessary evil", and therefore, not evil.
Kojima's art successfully breaks the barrier between a reader and the page. You can actually hear the turning wheels on Daigoro's baby cart; the sword slicing through a man's flesh; the wind through the trees; the horses cry as they die. You can smell the dirty peasants, feel the rain on your skin, taste the steam coming from the pots, and a hundred other sensations that are far, far more than pictures on paper. Kojima succeeds at what few artists even attempt: Creating a living, breathing fictional world.
That world is based on a turning point in Japan's history. There was an Ogami clan who held the post of kogi kaishakunin, and a Yagyu clan who served as assassins. In 1655, the Ogami clan disappeared completely. In 1681, the Yagyu also vanished. 'Lone Wolf and Cub' takes these events as its inspiration, and creates a fictionalized history. This "Edo period" was a turning point for Japan's history. The feudal system was dying out. Starving peasants frequently revolted against their daimyo, feudal leaders. A middle class grew as fiefdoms became indebted to rice merchants. Lawlessness increased as the Yakuza crime families grew in power and wealth. In short, it was the end of "ancient" Japan, and the beginnings of modern Japan.
I could go on about all the little things in this series that make it great: the research into weapons and cultural; the subtle criticisms of bushido and corrupt politics; the fear that Itto's very name inspires; the horror of challenging a 3-year-old boy to a duel, and the greater horror of that boy being prepared for death. But the best way, the only way to truly understand this book is to read it for yourself. Talking about comics is like dancing about architecture. I could summarize the stories, describe the art, and express the ways it makes me feel. But it's no substitute for reading it yourself.
The only way I can convince you to read 'Lone Wolf and Cub' is to give you a copy of 'Lone Wolf and Cub'. Pick up Vol. 2, "The Gateless Barrier", where Ogami Itto achieves the state of mu to kill a holy man. It's the most frightening thing I've ever seen in a comic. And it just gets better.
The downside to reading such a great work is how everything else looks worse by comparison, (or how much better everything else makes the work look). Still, life and comics go on. Here's the new stuff:
Raijin Comics #6 & #7- Various Artists and Writers/Gutsoon! - 
Best $10 dollars I spent this week! I should go into more detail about this in a later column. For now, I'm loving the action/comedy 'City Hunter', the romantic/comedy 'Slam Dunk', the tense drama of 'Revenge of Moufloun', the politics of 'The First President of Japan, the action of 'Baki the Grappler', and the young love of 'Gaurdian Angel Getten'. I'll tolerate 'Bomber Girl' until a better series comes along.
I should tell you, though, getting the series has been tough. Only the Mall Shop has ever carried it, and even then, not every week. I may have to get a home subscription to get my weekly fix. Still, it would be so worth it!
Wildcats 3.0 #6 - Casey/Nguyen/Friend/DC Wildstorm - 
I'd thought of dropping this until I got my phone job. It's an interesting book that's building slowly. Dolby meets Grifter and Agent Wax, and starts to wonder about Jack Marlowe's motives. Grifter starts wondering too when he learns Marlowe's plans to turn Agent Orange into a spy he can control. Finally, we learn the current state of Ladytron, inspiration for Halo Industries' cartoon mascot.
Captain Marvel #5 - David/Chriscross/Sotomayer/Marvel -
The mysterious being behind Genis' madness reveals himself to be Entropy, son of Eternity, embodiment of all creation. Entropy has led Genis to realize a son must supplant and destroy his father, making him more willing to help Entropy kill his father.
Weird, weird stuff, but also brilliant.
Truth: Red, White, and Black #3 - Morales/Baker/Marvel -
The bloody experiments on black solider results in only a handful of survivors. The families of our heroes are told their loved ones died. By issue's end, one of them does. Reading this made me uncomfortable. Good. It's supposed to. I also read this in the break room of my phone job. I was hoping someone would come up and ask me about it. I would have been proud to show this comic to another person; to hold it up as an example of what the medium can do. How many books can you say that about?
Cerebus #286 - Sim/Gerhard/Aardvark-Vanaheim -
Cerebus continues his interpretation of the Book of Genesis continues, while Konigsberg's mind seems to collapse completely. Plus, weight loss tips! As interesting as this outsider's version of the Bible is, I miss the comics. The four-page sequence of Cerebus slimming down was a welcome relief. Also, I think the reader needs a better understanding of Woody Allen, (the inspiration for Konigsberg), his films, and the films of Fellini and Ingmar Bergman.
Ultimate War #3 - Millar/Bachalo/Marvel - 
The president is taken to the safest city in America, while Prof. X tries to trick Magneto into revealing his secret hideout. But Magneto sees through Xavier's ruse and exposes him to the Ultimates.
Here's my thinking: Great comic + Lame comic = OK comic.
I'll let you identify the variables
Soldier X #7 - Marcan/Kordey/Marvel - 
Nathan frees an Afghani town from warlords looking for a child of prophecy. He then hooks up with a wrinkled little man that impersonated his mentor, Blaquesmith, who wants to introduce Nathan to a film producer. Seems this producer wants to express Nathan's Askani philosophy through mass media.
Former 'Cable' writer Robert Weinberg has public stated how boring 'Soldier X' has become. I half-agree. Nathan is boring. 'Soldier X' is just stupid. This was a moronic, clichéd story with incredibly stupid characters whose actions are even more unnatural than their typical stereotyped roles. Kordey's turns in the worst artwork of his career looking like a cheap knock-off of Eduardo Risso. But worst of all is when "Blaquesmith" turns to the reader and says, "We forgot to do a recap page! AGAIN!" Breaking the fourth wall only works if you're trying to be funny all the time. And only if you're succeeding. The only thing keeping this above  and 'Marville'-level crappiness is reading this book is not physically painful. Nor am I compelled to cry out blasphemies like "Jesus fucking Christ, this book is bad!" It's bad, but not painful.
After that, even Image comics looked good. Seriously, here's the list:
Wetworks #16 and 17, (read twice), Sword of Damocles #1-2, Sigma #1-3, Deathblow #26-29, Fire from Heaven #1-2, Backlash #19-20, Gen-13 #10-11, Wild C.A.T.S. (Vol. 1) #29-30, and Stormwatch (Vol. 1) #35-36. I know I read these last week, but they're all part of the 1996 "Fire from Heaven" crossover, and I first read them out of order. The story isn't bad, and it's certainly one of the best crossovers I've ever read. If you liked Wildstorm superhero comics in the 90s, give this a look. With a third of the story by Alan Moore and Warren Ellis, it's better than you'd expect.
And finally, everything else:
Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 26-28, Ultimate Marvel Team-Up Hardcover, Daredevil #277, 368-370, and Edge #10.
That's it for this week. Next: How good is reading a comic in a library, and what can you get there?
Thanks for reading. I've got work to do.
QED
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