Introduction Lone Wolf and Cub, written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Goseki Kojima, was first published in Japan as Kozure Okami, beginning in 1970. The violent story was that of a ronin, or masterless samurai, during Japan's Edo period. The twist was that he took his infant son along with him. The series proved a great success and spawned violent movie adaptations (known as the Baby Cart Assassin movies), beginning in 1972. The series proved a major influence on American comics in the 1980s through Frank Miller, who used ninjas in Daredevil and whose Ronin shows a fusion of American and Japanese comics art, including pacing and panel arrangements. The series was first adapted into English by First Comics and published in monthly volumes running 48 to 98 pages at the same size as most American comics. It featured covers by Frank Miller, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Matt Wagner. Though it published the stories in order, it left a number out and was never completed. In 2000, Dark Horse Comics began printing Lone Wolf and Cub in compact monthly editions, slightly smaller than digest size (and almost exactly a forth of a magazine-sized page). Dark Horse called this "the Japanese format" and claimed its authenticity to the original. A great benefit of this size was the lower printing costs involved, which allowed Dark Horse to print the series in 300-page black-and-white paperbacks, each selling for $10. The series took off, selling out and receiving reprints, a surprise in a poor market. Besides the cheap page count, the series benefited from the long period of acclaim for it (from Frank Miller and others, as well as in the press for fans of manga), during which there was no American edition. The Dark Horse series featured a nifty design incorporating a cover from the First Comics series. It featured a new translation by Dana Lewis. Following the success of their reprint volumes, Dark Horse Comics launched Lone Wolf 2100, a four-part mini-series featuring new material featuring a Lone Wolf and Cub of the future. The setting, if not the characters, were almost doubtlessly inspired by Samurai Jack, Cartoon Network's original and award-winning show featuring a Samurai sent into the future.

IMAGE	TITLE	DESCRIPTION	STATUS
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 1: The Assassin's Road	contains the first nine stories, titled "Son for Hire, Sword for Hire", "A Father Knows His Child's Heart, as Only a Child Can Know His Father's", "From North to South, From West to East", "Baby Cart on the River Styx", "Suio School Zanbato", "Waiting for the Rains", "Eight Gates of Deceit", "Wings to the Birds, Fangs to the Beast", and "The Assassin's Road" (the first story of First's first volume, telling how Ogami Itto became a ronin); Frank Miller cover; 304 pages; published on Wednesday, 13 September 2000 [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	B
	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 1: The Assassin's Road [hardcover edition]	distributed to retailers as a promotion	Much Needed
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 2: The Gateless Barrier	contains five stories (numbered 10 to 14), titled "Red Cat", "The Coming of the Cold" (the second story of First's first volume, in which Daigoro is buried by an avalance, showing great love between father and son), "Tragic O-Sue" (First's second volume), "The Gateless Barrier" (First's third volume, which bears the same cover as this present volume, a truly beautiful Buddhist tale in which Ogami Itto struggles to merge with mu, nothingness, and thus kill a Buddhist priest), and "Winter Flower"; Frank Miller cover; includes glossary; 304 pages [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	B
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 3: The Flute of the Fallen Tiger	contains five stories (numbered 15 to 19), titled "The Flute of the Fallen Tiger" (in which Ogami Itto battles three ninja guards after a fire on the seas, the title referring to the sound a subtly cut neck can make), "Half Mat, One Mat, A Fistful of Rice" (First's fifth volume, which bears the same cover as this present volume, featuring Shino Sakon, the ronin who pokes his head out from a mat and lets people attack it for money), "The White Path Between the Rivers" (taking place shortly before Ogami Itto became a ronin, telling of how he was framed, his wife killed, and Daigoro born), "The Virgin and the Whore" (a story of the annya, the Japanese prostitute), and "Close Quarters" (featuring logging); includes glossary, brief but useful profiles of Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, and "The Ronin Report" (about bushido) by Tim Ervin-Gore; Frank Miller cover; 320 pages; published on Wednesday, 15 November 2000 [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	B
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 4: The Bell Warden	contains four stories (numbered 20 to 23), titled "The Bell Warden" (in which the title character sends his three sons who might replace him to prove themselves against our hero, with predictable results), "Unfaithful Retainers" (in which our hero helps a son and daughter avenge their unjustly slain father), "Parting Frost" (a rather good story because it focuses on the child, showing what happens to him when the father does not return on time, featuring his warrior spirit, which has already merged with mu, and his shishogan eyes), and "Performer" (a rather long story, running 115 pages, that features a tattooed female warrior, formerly a performer, who has been raped -- and that features distraction as a fighting tool); the first two stories, "The Bell Warden" and "Unfaithful Retainers," are good but not as philosophically deep as the best stories; includes glossary, brief but useful profiles of Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, and "The Ronin Report" (about weapons) by Tim Ervin-Gore; Frank Miller cover; 320 pages; published on Wednesday, 20 December 2000 [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	B
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 5: Black Wind	contains five stories (numbered 24 to 28), titled "Trail Markers", "Executioner's Hill", "Black Wind" (in which our characters pretend to be peasants), "Decapitator Asaemon", and "The Guns of Sakai" (a rather good story, showing the development of guns and some very good philosophy of internal conflict and consequent development); includes glossary; Frank Miller cover; 288 pages; published on Wednesday, 31 January 2001 [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	B
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 6: Lanterns for the Dead	contains five stories (numbered 29 to 33), titled "Lanterns for the Dead", "Deer Chaser" (in which a con artist impersonates Ogami Itto), "Hunger Town" (First's volume 19), "The Soldier is the Castle", and "One Stone Bridge"; includes glossary and brief biographies of the two original creators; Frank Miller cover; 288 pages [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	B
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 7: Cloud Dragon, Wind Tiger	contains five stories (numbered 34 to 38), titled "Dragnet", "Night Stalker", "Cloud Dragon, Wind Tiger", "Inn of the Last Chrysanthemum", and "Penal Code Article Seventy-Nine"; includes glossary, brief biographies of the two original creators, and Tim Ervin-Gore's "The Ronin Report" (on "The Women of Lone Wolf and Cub"); Frank Miller cover; 320 pages; published on Wednesday, 28 March 2001 [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	B
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 8: Chains of Death	contains six stories (numbered 39 to 44), titled "Tidings of the Geese", "The Frozen Crane", "Chain of Death", "The Infinite Path", "Thread of Tears", and "Beku-no-ji"; includes glossary; Frank Miller cover; 304 pages; published on Wednesday, 25 April 2001 [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	B
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 9: Echo of the Assassin	contains five stories (numbered 45 to 49), titled "Wife of the Heart", "Wandering Samarai", "Echo of the Assassin", "Naked Worms", and "The Yagyu Letter: Prologue" (continued from the last story); includes glossary and brief biographies of the two original creators; Frank Miller cover; 288 pages [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	B
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 10: Hostage Child	contains five stories (numbered 50 to 54), titled "The Yagyu Letter" (continued from the last story; features Ogami Itto repelling a massive Yagyu attack), "The Tears of Daigoro" (continued from the last story; Daigoro gets separated from his father), "The Fisherwoman's Love" (features Daigoro, still alone), "Drifting Shadows" (features Ogami Itto fighting the Yagyu, including their leader personally), and "Straw Boy" (features Daigoro, still alone and starving, used by well-characterized criminals); includes glossary, brief biographies of the two original creators, and Tim Ervin-Gore's "The Ronin Report" (on the series's film adaptations); Frank Miller cover; 320 pages [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	B
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 11: Talisman of Hades	contains four stories (numbered 55 to 58), titled "Talisman of Hades" (in which some people clue in to Ogami Itto's search for his son), "Ailing Star" (in which Daigoro lives with an old woman under a bridge), "Thirteen Strings" (in which Ogami Itto helps peasants and then finds Daigoro at last), and "A Poem for the Grave" (in which father and son, reunited, perform an assassination on a man who morally criticizes Ogami Itto; the story notes that the repeating rifle in the baby cart has been replaced by the Yagyu letter, which is analyzed in this story); includes glossary, brief biographies of the two original creators, and a 9-page gallery by Goseki Kojima; Frank Miller cover; 320 pages; published on Wednesday, 1 August 2001 [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	B
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 12: Shattered Stones	contains five stories (numbered 59 to 63), titled "Nameless, Penniless, Lifeless", "Body Check", "Shattered Stones", "A Promise of Potatoes", and "Wife Killer"; includes glossary, brief biographies of the two original creators, and "The Ronin Report" (by David S. Hofhine, a sword polisher, on swords in the series); Frank Miller cover; 302 pages [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	B
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 13: The Moon in the East, The Sun in the West	contains five stories (numbered 64 to 68), titled "The Moon in the East, The Sun in the West", "'Marohoshi' Mamesho", "Spoiling Daigoro", "The Hojiro Yagyu", and "The Bird Catchers"; includes glossary, brief biographies of the two original creators, and "The Ronin Report" (by Tim Ervin-Gore on weapons, continuing a previous "The Ronin Report"); Bill Sienkiewicz cover; 320 pages; published on Wednesday, 26 September 2001 [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	B
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 14: Day of the Demons	INFO TO COME; Bill Sienkiewicz cover; published on Wednesday, 31 October 2001 [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	Needed
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 15: Brothers of the Grass	Bill Sienkiewicz cover [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	Needed
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 16: The Gateway into Winter	particularly beautiful Bill Sienkiewicz cover [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	Needed
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 17: The Will of the Fang	Bill Sienkiewicz cover [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	Needed
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 18: Twilight of the Kurokuwa	Bill Sienkiewicz cover [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	Needed
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 19: The Moon in Our Hearts	Bill Sienkiewicz or Matt Wagner (?) cover [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	Needed
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 20: A Taste of Poison	Bill Sienkiewicz or Matt Wagner (?) cover [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	Needed
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 21: Fragrance of Death	Bill Sienkiewicz or Matt Wagner (?) cover [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	Needed
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 22: Heaven and Earth	Bill Sienkiewicz or Matt Wagner (?) cover [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	Needed
	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 23: Tears of Ice	Bill Sienkiewicz or Matt Wagner (?) cover [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	Needed
Larger Version Available	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 24: In These Small Hands	Bill Sienkiewicz or Matt Wagner (?) cover [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	Needed
	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 25: Perhaps in Death	Bill Sienkiewicz or Matt Wagner (?) cover [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	Needed
	Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 28: Falling Tree	final volume; Guy Davis cover	Needed
Lone Wolf 2100 #1-7, Lone Wolf 2100: The Red File: Mike Kennedy script; Francisco Ruiz Velasco art
	Lone Wolf 2100 #1	wraparound cover; published on Thursday, 30 May 2002	1
	Lone Wolf 2100 #2	published on Wednesday, 26 June 2002	Needed
	Lone Wolf 2100 #3	published on Wednesday, 31 July 2002	Needed
	Lone Wolf 2100 #4		Needed
	Lone Wolf 2100: Shadows on Saplings	collects Lone Wolf 2100 #1-4; published on Wednesday, 26 February 2003	Needed
	Lone Wolf 2100 #5		Needed
	Lone Wolf 2100 #6		Needed
	Lone Wolf 2100: The Red File	a dossier-style book revealing secrets of the series's plot and its development	Needed
Lone Wolf 2100 #8-12: no data entered
	Lone Wolf 2100 #7	published on Wednesday, 12 March 2003	Needed
	Lone Wolf 2100 #8		Needed
	Lone Wolf 2100 #9		Needed
	Lone Wolf 2100 #10		Needed
	Lone Wolf 2100 #11		Needed
	Lone Wolf 2100 #12	I have no idea what the final issue is	Needed

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