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Lone Wolf & Cub Ominbus vol. 4

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    Nolando
    Senior Member

  • Lone Wolf & Cub Ominbus Vol. 4



    Released by: Dark Horse Comics
    Released on: Apr. 02, 2014
    Purchase From Amazon


    This 700-page TPB collects four complete stories from the Lone Wolf and Cub series - volumes 8, 9 and then three stories from volume 10.

    For those not in the know regarding this long-running Japanese comic the story focuses on Ogami Itto, the former Kogi Kaishakunin or Shogun's Assassin, now on the Six Paths, the Four Lives, living meifumado, with his infant son, Daigoro. Their battle is primarily against the Yagyu clan, the Sato-Iri Shinobi ninja, led by the power-hungry, blood-thirsty maniac Retsudo.

    This volume contains 12 chapters that cover a majority of the story arc dealing with Ogami's quest to destroy the Yagyu clan. But these stories accomplish this by detailing the ronin's near-perfect embodiment of the warrior's code of bushido and how that plays out in his travels. He still uses his trademark baby cart, a seemingly universal resource that not only transports Daigoro but also deals out high levels of death and destruction. Here are the stories, presented in the order published in this collection:

    Chains of Death - The opening story is the typical Lone Wolf & Cub story, wherein the pair seem to wander aimlessly but unstoppably, this time into a trap in a small mountain village. It begins, though, with an introduction to Retsudo calling for the Kurokawa clan to rise up on their own behalf (but, really, to benefit the Yagyu) and strike down Ogami Itto once and for all. Itto attempts to convince his attackers of Retsudo's ulterior motives but they have their own score to settle here. They surround him and Daigoro, using the chains of the title to create a “star of death” surrounding and trapping them. But Itto - as is often the case in this series - is a force of nature that cannot be stopped and, soon enough, his attackers are all dead in the snow, leaving Itto and Daigoro to walk away yet again.

    The Infinite Path - This story finds Itto surrounded by the ghosts of his past and details how he came to find himself as the Lone Wolf and Cub. It appears that Itto earned his post in a duel with Retsudo's son, Ganbei. However, during this fight in front of the Shogun, Itto appeared to lose, what with Ganbei's sword pointing directly at his unprotected chest. But the direction of that blade was also pointing right at the Shogun, a serious offense and one that Itto prevented by “sacrificing” himself and putting himself in the blade's path, protecting the Shogun and proving his loyalty. Everyone in the Yagyu clan thinks Ganbei won but it's only Retsudo who knows what's actually occurred. He beats this into his son literally and then sends him away forever to the North. He then makes Ganbei's double commit seppuku and takes his head to the Shogun, to show that they've made proper amends for the offence. Further, Retsudo offers to make up for this by properly dueling Itto - which ultimately only serves by him “accidentally” gravely injuring a lord in the audience that's also bringing charges against the Yagyu.

    Thread of Tears - This story finds Ogami presented with the price of his quest. At a roadside temple he and his son wait out a winter storm and Ogami prays for long hours there. A drunk old priest befriends Daigoro, chatting amiably at the quiet boy while they fish. There's also a woman at the temple, weaving at a loom all day but constantly undoing all her work at day's end, starting over each day. Her purpose is to remain by her husband's grave there, awaiting the return of his killer who was supposedly the walking embodiment of bushido. And, indeed, it is Ogami she awaits and challenges to a duel with her husband's weapon. During the duel Daigoro falls into the icy nearby pond and she even tries to save him but Ogami is unmoved, quoting both his own and his son's commitment to their path, seeking help from no one. Soon enough the boy pulls himself out and the duel is concluded as Ogami strikes her down. But it was not vengeance she sought, apparently, but - to both the assassin's and priest's surprise - to finally join her husband in death...

    Beku-no-ji - A thief escapes the law, hiding away in an isolated shrine, finally having attained the amount he needed. He lays a trap for Ogami and, soon, the two are face to face. The trap was a test, the amount he's stolen payment to the assassin to carry out a task. The thief passionately describes how he came to be, a tragic tale involving the murder of his parents in a case of mistaken identity at the hands of four particularly nasty samurai. But during his story he accidentally reveals that he is a member of the Kurokawa and Ogami calls him on it. He's shocked and further reveals his plot to get Ogami killed fighting these four as that's his mission. But Ogami accepts the contract since the thief not only verifies the story about the death of his parents but also clearly paid for this on his own when he could have just got that from his clan masters. Such is the way of meifumado and Ogami and Daigoro set out to finish the contract. Which he does but the rest of their group don't take kindly to that and are going to attack. But the thief, now in their number, manages to prevent them by sacrificing himself to spring a log trap that kills them all, leaving the Lone Wolf & Cub to proceed yet again.

    Wife of the Heart - This story is another type that frequently pops up in this series where Ogami Itto dispenses bushido wisdom and, ultimately, works for someone else's betterment. Here, the focus is on a young woman named Ochiyo who is selling her body in her taxi-boat on the river. But her goal is to earn money to pay back the samurai, Hayase, that saved her life. The villagers in the nearby town don't like her and the boatmen are concerned that they're getting a bad rep. But Hayase took the beating meant for her two years prior and, near crippled, her money is his only means of support since his lord - the one that dispensed the beating - cast him out. He's also unaware of how she's really earning this money, too, but Ogami is waiting to cross the river and hears all this. Hayase wants to build a bridge, as his father wanted as well, for the better of everyone living there and presses his case to his old lord once his plans are all ready. The lord, though, wants nothing to do with him and just when his goons are about to reveal the truth about his lady Ogami appears and starts slaughtering them. When he's finally bearing down on that lord, though, Hayase intervenes, stating that he's the only man with the power to make the bridge a reality. He therefore defends this ideal with his life as Ogami understands this stance. He also then kills the evil lord, leaving the bridge plans with Ochiyo, telling her to carry on with that as she is Hayase's “wife of his heart.”

    Wandering Samurai - Ogami exists here in the story almost entirely peripherally, showing up only to serve as the authority of the bushido code. The story primarily deals with a ronin falling in with the watari-kachi, despicable guns-for-hire, the absolute bottom rung of the samurai scale. This ronin remains aloof from his companions but when they attack a woman, her daughter and their attendant he loses it when they mention the name of their lord. That's apparently a serious no-no and this ronin is then forced to kill the woman and her daughter (as they've already killed the attendant) and makes one of his group into the fake attacker, to appease the local law and get them out of this mess. During this, he encounters Ogami and, as a witness, he knows they must duel. So they do and Ogami strikes him down and, with his last breaths, he asks for an authoritative answer to the dilemma that led the ronin down this path. He apparently left his post guarding his lord, choosing to attack and prevent more death but everyone else saw that as abandoning his post. Itto eventually provides his answer, ultimately agreeing with the ronin's decision, giving him the peace of mind to finally die peacefully.

    Echo of the Assassin - Here, the pair are stopped at a roadside inn and encounter a very friendly samurai who's studying to be a doctor. They all chat amiably enough while, outside, men after Ogami Itto prepare their attack, using a vicious weapon called a chigiri-gi, waiting for the right moment. The three of them leave, this other samurai leaving first and, seeing the trap of these men awaiting Ogami, goes back and warns him on the road. Ogami tells him to just stay out of it but, during the fight that ensues, the samurai kills one of the attackers in an attempt to help Ogami and Daigoro. Now that he's killed someone the samurai is insistent about reporting the event to the law, something the Lone Wolf doesn't care about. They travel together further, the samurai not letting the point drop and becoming further insistent when it comes to what this is all doing to Daigoro and how wrong that is. The two argue the point for a while, the samurai finally relenting, giving them a couple of flower/herbs for specific ailments and wounds. In the spirit of helpfulness he also produces his homemade thermos with hot tea and offers some to Ogami. But it's a trick! The poison takes hold and the samurai delights when Ogami falls to the ground. He reveals himself to be of the Yagyu clan, a very secret, deceptive assassin order. But that's just what Ogami was waiting for and he stands up, not having drank the poisoned tea. The two fight briefly but the assassin is struck down. With his dying breath he does express his worry for Daigoro and, to the end result of ensuring the boy's safety, tells Ogami to eat the plant he gave him as it's the antidote to the poison that even just touching to one's lips can produce death.

    Naked Worms - This story gets into the main tale of Ogami and his fight against the Yagyu. It involves Ogami infiltrating the hadaka-mushi, the “naked worms” of the title, who ferry people across a dangerous river. They are a predatory lot, often ripping off the people they're transporting and then sexually molesting any female passengers. They think they're untouchable, too, since the river warden needs them for one purpose alone: Getting the Shogun's precious packages - the gojo-bako, top-secret messages - across the river. Without the hadaka-mushi, those won't go through and it'll be his head. So they act with impunity - until Ogami intervenes, seeking to become one of them. They give him a chance and he carries out his task of ferrying people on his back or on litters across the river tirelessly. They are impressed but don't trust him. However, their leader recognizes Ogami's resolve and rewards it by letting him stay on as one of them. So when it finally comes time to cross the swollen river with a gojo-bako he selects Ogami as one of the litter-bearers. Halfway across, though, Ogami tips the litter, steals the package and kills the guards. Returning to shore, his co-workers want him dead but, again, their leader intervenes, respecting this “true samurai” as such a rare sight that they'll want to live, just to tell this story to their kids and grandkids.

    The Yagyu Letter: Prologue - The events of the previous story roll into this one, where Retsudo discovers that Ogami Itto has stolen that package, one that contains incriminating evidence of the Yagyu treachery. This enrages the old man and forces his hand, finally throwing their own clans forces in with his “errand boys” of the Kurokawa. He plans to use them as the first wave and then another wave with archers and riflemen to follow, to finally put this menace down once and for all.

    The Yagyu Letter - Retsudo and the clans ride out once Ogami is spotted and he lays out his plan to eliminate the assassin. The Lone Wolf & Cub have stopped off at a mountain inn, giving him time to stay one step ahead of his killers. It also allows for a flashback, before all this, when he learned of the Yagyu treachery and how they've hijacked the Shogun's communications for their own ends. Back to the present, the first wave of Kurokawa approach and propose meeting him in the open in a fair fight. He's busy dispatching them when one goes after Daigoro who cleverly defends himself using one of the spears attached to his baby cart. With that battle won, the father and son depart, walking eventually into the trap of the second wave. The archers' arrows only strike the cart, though, and as the gunners take aim Ogami is able to set off the multi-barreled cannon he's mounted into the cart and fire it at them, seriously decimating their numbers. This allows him - with his infant son clinging to his back - to wade into the vast number and strike them all down. This leaves just the last wave, of Retsudo and his Yagyu goons.

    The Tears of Daigoro - This begins with the fight then between them all, with Ogami laying into their number and coming into a duel with Retusdo. However, during that portion of the fighting, Daigoro falls from his father's back, down the steep hillside. Ogami follows suit himself but in a different direction, fooling the Yagyu by taking the secret letter with him and forcing the Yagyu to chase him down. Daigoro, meanwhile, is unconscious and found by mentally-challenged young man who informs his good guy of a father. They take the boy in then and work to restore his health. The father is a former samurai himself and recognizes that Daigoro has that in him, too, and suspects that something more sinister must be at work here. So he's not surprised when a group of “travelers” appears seeking shelter. They talk some, the father revealing his past and his duty to his son who needs his help. He sees that as his role with Daigoro, too, and so when these assassin attack he fights them, allowing the kids to make their escape. He fights unarmed and still manages to hold the majority of them off before he's fatally struck down. As they escape the kids encounter one last assassin. The boy, though, is as resolute as his father where it counts, attacking the larger, armed man and dragging both of them fatally over a cliff. Daigoro is left alive and alone then, good people having sacrificed themselves to save him, and that finally elicits tears of sorrow from the old-soul, world-weary infant.

    The Fisherwoman's Love - The last story in this collection follows Daigoro as he makes his way resolutely on his own. He encounters a group of fishermen who offer to feed the wayward child but he refuses to take anything from them, not after seeing how hard they work for the fish themselves. One woman in their midst is particularly taken with the boy and comes back later for him, finding Daigoro doing his own fishing (with great difficulty). He finally then calls her, “Auntie,” and she's happy with that, taking him home with her to get proper food and rest. However, on the way, they encounter the village priest who's horrified at what he sees in Daigoro's eyes, what he terms as shishogan, massive amounts of bloody slaughter and death that can only mean bad luck for anyone near him. The priest demands that she abandon this child at once, for the safety of their village. But she doesn't and he's welcomed into her home. Daigoro smiles even, hanging out with the nice grandpa and the woman's own baby. The priest shows up again the next day and, seeing this child still around, figures he must kill the abomination himself. Yet in doing so he starts a fire that burns the house down, bringing all the fishermen running and the fisherwoman terrified for her baby. They want to blame Daigoro who's still there, standing in the nearby woods - but, as it turns out, guarding the baby that he saved from the fire. The adults are all shocked and Daigoro runs away, knowing that part of what the priest said was true about him...

    This collection also comes with a handy glossary of the Japanese terms and concepts used in the stories, to help out with the translation. Also included are short profiles of series' creators Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima. This massive volume is an excellent addition to any collection, for both the casual and hardcore fan alike of this series and is a great value as well. The stories collected are a great example of the variety the entire run of the series covers as well, the one-off tales to the vast, more epic conspiracy storyline. But those all serve to detail this samurai world and the time of feudal Japan very well. The cover art from Frank Miller doesn't hurt, either...
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