Samurai Executioner TPB (2004-2006 Digest) comic books

Volume 1 - 1st printing. "When the Demon Knife Weeps!" Written by KAZUO KOIKE. Art by GOSEKI KOJIMA. 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 & Cub! ? Since the inception of their Lone Wolf & Cub publishing program in 2000, Dark Horse has sold over 800,000 copies! And the series continues to sell thousands per month! Softcover, 328 pages, 4-in. x 6-in., B&W. MATURE READERS Cover price $9.95.

Volume 1 - 2nd and later printings. "When the Demon Knife Weeps!" Written by KAZUO KOIKE. Art by GOSEKI KOJIMA. 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 & Cub! ? Since the inception of their Lone Wolf & Cub publishing program in 2000, Dark Horse has sold over 800,000 copies! And the series continues to sell thousands per month! Softcover, 328 pages, 4-in. x 6-in., B&W. MATURE READERS Cover price $9.95.

Volume 2 - 1st printing. "Two Bodies, Two Minds!" Written by KAZUO KOIKE. Art by GOSEKI KOJIMA. It's the same classic style you came to expect from Koike and Kojima. The same tale of an honorable samurai and a similar great sword in the hand of a similarly fantastic swordsman, but make no mistake, Samurai Executioner is very different from its brother, Lone Wolf & Cub, sometimes frighteningly so. In a prison world, there are few good stories, and this is the world of Kubikiri Asa, the beheader and master samurai under the Shogun. It's a world full of vengeance, greed, and violence. A world of depravity and sin. One man can set things straight if he can keep his wits. This is a story of extreme proportions, of sword study thick in tradition and with grim purpose, of blood rivers, agonizing screams, bondage, torture, and the evil prevalent in human failure. Drafted by the confirmed masters of the international medium of manga, Samurai Executioner is a shocking combination of darkness and fire, fine lines, and a fine man in the face of human decline. Softcover, 304 pages, 4-in. x 6-in., B&W. MATURE READERS Cover price $9.95.

Volume 3 - 1st printing. "The Hell Stick!" Written by KAZUO KOIKE. Art by GOSEKI KOJIMA. Readers of Lone Wolf & Cub came to know a samurai of such high honor that he was not only able to perform but enjoyed and, in fact, learned from basic daily tasks. Cutting wood, cooking food. That wasn't something a samurai did back in feudal Japan. These same human elements are apparent in Kubikiri Asa, the main character in Samurai Executioner. He's a man of the people, though his job is to separate many of those same people from their heads. In this volume, however, we're treated to three fantastic stories of amazing weapons skill, both on the part of Asa and those around him. Witness, for the first time in this series, a duel between two great samurai, in the slow, contemplative tradition. Observe Asa's extremely precise sword stroke. And read a charming story of a young peace officer who practices the use of his specialized weaponry to the point of utilitarian, life-saving perfection. It's more classic samurai stories in our third volume of Samurai Executioner. Softcover, 312 pages, 4-in. x 6-in., B&W. MATURE READERS Cover price $9.95.

Volume 4 - 1st printing. "Portrait of Death!" Written by KAZUO KOIKE. Art by GOSEKI KOJIMA. A frenetic mix of samurai honor, base violence, and the blood of beheading, Samurai Executioner, is not for the faint of heart. For those who love blood and guts crime drama, historical fiction, and brutal action, this is right up your alley. The men who brought you Lone Wolf & Cub also created Kubikiri Asa, a young ronin samurai who helps keep the peace by putting the fear of beheading into Edo's criminals. But it doesn't always work, and so he has to. Full of squirting blood, fast-paced samurai swordwork, and the drama that comes from human corruption, Samurai Executioner is like no other classic manga. ? Never before published in America, Samurai Executioner was the companion to one of the most seminal works of manga, Lone Wolf & Cub! Softcover, 304 pages, 4-in. x 6-in., B&W. MATURE READERS Cover price $9.95.

Volume 5 - 1st printing. "Ten Fingers, One Life!" Written by KAZUO KOIKE. Art by GOSEKI KOJIMA. Striking similarities between Lone Wolf & Cub and Koike and Kojima's sidebar storyline Samurai Executioner (known as Kubikiri Asa in Japan) are evident in the cool attitude, rebellious honor, and unflappable bushido of the lead characters of both series, but readers will delight in the whole new genre of Edo-era samurai spirit in Samurai Executioner. Wrapped tightly around a core of crime fiction, we enter a world of harsh and violent crime, and the forces up against it. In this volume, after a few initial stories of criminals' lives leading to execution, we meet two Edo-era police officers and explore their specialized methods of capturing crafty criminals. Then, in Koike's signature fashion, the volume ends with a psycho killer and her grueling and violent end. It's like a history lesson, art education, and pulp sensation, all wrapped up in one fantastic series. ? Never before published in America, Samurai Executioner was the companion to one of the most seminal works of manga, Lone Wolf & Cub! ? Dark Horse has sold over 800,000 copies of Lone Wolf & Cub since 2000! Softcover, 304 pages, 4-in. x 6-in., B&W. MATURE READERS Cover price $9.95.

Volume 6 - 1st printing. "Shinko the Kappa!" Written by KAZUO KOIKE. Art by GOSEKI KOJIMA. The stoic bushido world of Samurai Executioner is one full of flying, disembodied heads, and odd happenings. And this volume is no exception. There are always stories of crimes and ensuing punishment, and plenty of squirting blood, but this volume promises a story that will fascinate and produce a few grins. A mysterious woman, with a turtle-like demon tattooed on her back and the ability to swim like no other, is stealing weapons of men around Edo. It's scarring egos and causing lots of problems. Of course, Asa has the answer to the mystery. And in a surprise turn, a samurai cop whom we've met before finally captures the woman, and does so in a rather erotic way. ? Never before published in America, Samurai Executioner was the companion to one of the most seminal works of manga, Lone Wolf & Cub! Softcover, 304 pages, 4-in. x 6-in., B&W. MATURE READERS Cover price $9.95.

Volume 7 - 1st printing. "The Bamboo Spliter!" Written by KAZUO KOIKE. Art by GOSEKI KOJIMA. As Samurai Executioner continues moving into 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're learning about Kubikiri Asa, the Shögun's decapitator, and his stoic life. This man's joyless existence is backed by stories of his past as a child, and how they reflect on his present life. But we also learn more about the peace officers of the era. In particular, there's the character "Catcher Kasajirö," the charming young man who uses a hooked rope and chained cudgel with such great skill. With these two characters, one with the guilt of many generations, and one bearing the naiveté of a young buck, comes an odd sort of tenderness to a world of pain and death. Softcover, 304 pages, 4-in. x 6-in., B&W. MATURE READERS Cover price $9.95.

Volume 8 - 1st printing. "The Death Sign of Spring!" Written by KAZUO KOIKE. Art by GOSEKI KOJIMA. Spring is a season of rebirth, or new life springing forth, a time of cherished blooming and delightful scents. But for Kubikira Asa, there is no spring delight. The Edo-era samurai crime drama by Lone Wolf and Cub creators Koike and Kojima continues down its path of heinous crime and diligent, bloody justice. Spring may come to the innocent, but to those condemned to lose their heads to Asa's sword, it will be their last. Softcover, 304 pages, 4-in. x 6-in., B&W. MATURE READERS Cover price $9.95.

Volume 9 - 1st printing. "Facing Life and Death!" Written by KAZUO KOIKE. Art by GOSEKI KOJIMA. For a stoic ronin such as Kubikiri Asa, a samurai assigned to test the Shogun's sword and behead prisoners, the moment before death is of great importance. Because of this, Asa will often listen to the stories of those about to be executed and pay respect to the lives of these often unfortunately maligned prisoners. Sometimes scary, often quirky, and occasionally very sweet, it goes to show how people of different walks of life can meet the same brutal, yet graceful end, at the hand of one of the finest masters of bushido and swordsmanship. Samurai Executioner tells the stories of these people, from the perspective of Asa, an honorable, highly skilled ronin. As with their previously published series, Lone Wolf and Cub, Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima present a detailed and beautiful, if brutal, account of a bygone era. Softcover, 304 pages, 4-in. x 6-in., B&W. MATURE READERS Cover price $9.95.

Volume 10 - 1st printing. "A Couple Jitte!" Written by KAZUO KOIKE. Art by GOSEKI KOJIMA. It's the final volume of Samurai Executioner, and like the previous nine volumes, the last is a combination of life's varying tides of good fortune and ill circumstance. The woman who once stole the weapons of samurai cops is becoming a cop herself. It's a story of gender struggles in a time long past. All the while, criminals keep losing their heads to Asa the decapitator. But one criminal might leave something behind that could hurt our favorite protagonist. ? Drafted by the creators of Lone Wolf and Cub, Dark Horse Comics has been proud to present this beautiful and individual series of samurai-era, crime-and-punishment drama. Softcover, 304 pages, 4-in. x 6-in., B&W. MATURE READERS Cover price $9.95.