Strain TPB (1998-2001 Viz Digest) comic books

Volume 1 - 1st printing. Written by Buronson. Art and Cover by Ryoichi Ikegami. Mayo is a cool, disinterested killer for hire, but the real reason he charges only $5 for a hit is a secret. It seems that teenage prostitute Shion has a secret too--one that even she doesn't know. Now that that Mayo has screwed over the local crime syndicate by taking pity on Shion and her mother, they are both on the run from the criminals, a murderous cop, and their own secrets! Softcover, 5 1/2-in. x 8-in., 224 pages, B&W. MATURE READERS Cover price $15.95.

Volume 1 - 2nd and later printings. Written by Buronson. Art and Cover by Ryoichi Ikegami. Mayo is a cool, disinterested killer for hire, but the real reason he charges only $5 for a hit is a secret. It seems that teenage prostitute Shion has a secret too--one that even she doesn't know. Now that that Mayo has screwed over the local crime syndicate by taking pity on Shion and her mother, they are both on the run from the criminals, a murderous cop, and their own secrets! Softcover, 5 1/2-in. x 8-in., 224 pages, B&W. MATURE READERS Cover price $15.95.

Volume 2 - 1st printing. Written by Buronson. Art and Cover by Ryoichi Ikegami. Mayo must protect his young charge from the murderous instincts of his brother! Softcover, 5 1/2-in. x 8-in., 208 pages, B&W. MATURE READERS Cover price $15.95.

Volume 3 - 1st printing. Written by Buronson. Art and Cover by Ryoichi Ikegami. Set in the back streets of Malaysia, Strain follows the lives of Mayo, a ruthless assassin, and Shion, the teenage prostitute he takes under his wing. Together they battle a psychotic Japanese aristocrat obsessed with purifying his "strain" and thugs bent on ruling the Asian underworld! Softcover, 5 1/2-in. x 8-in., 216 pages, B&W. MATURE READERS Cover price $15.95.

Volume 4 - 1st printing. Written by Buronson. Art and Cover by Ryoichi Ikegami. Framed and exiled to Malaysia's slums, Japanese assassin Shingo Kusaka joins a group of outcasts in the fight against his elder brother Shunichiro, a power-hungry aristocrat, and the monolithic Chinese Sai crime family. When Shimei Sai makes a hostile takeover of Kusaka Corp., Shunichiro's response is to hire the best assassin in Malaysia...Shingo Kusaka, the very brother he once tried to kill! With this reconciliation of convenience, the siblings go up against the Sai family in a bloody attempted coup. Will Rei Fai, Shimei's mistress, be their ally or enemy? Will Gensuke Jin, Shingo's grandfather, lend his power and influence to their cause? And what about cross-dressing killer "Sweetie" Andre? It all comes down to an underground room where Shion and Shunichiro face one another, revolvers in hand! Softcover, 5 1/2-in. x 8-in., 224 pages, B&W. MATURE READERS Cover price $15.95.

Volume 5 - 1st printing. Written by Buronson. Art and Cover by Ryoichi Ikegami. Framed, nearly executed, and exiled to Malaysia's slums, Japanese assassin Shingo Kusaka joins a group of outcasts in the fight against his elder brother Shunichiro, a power-hungry aristocrat, and the monolithic Chinese Sai crime family. The prize: a gigantic oil strike in Borneo - money and power enough, perhaps, to realize the dream of a united Asia. The current owner: the Kusaka corporation. But who will claim it? Kusaka's CEO, the ruthless Shunichiro, has just resigned in favor of Shingo, the "adopted" black-sheep younger brother whom he long tried to kill. Shunichiro has conceded his great secret - it's Shingo who is the natural son, not him. Blood will tell, but how much more must be spilled? Who will tie the skein of the "strain?" Softcover, 5 1/2-in. x 8-in., 216 pages, B&W. MATURE READERS Cover price $15.95.