Lone Wolf and Cub: Black Wind

One of the continuing surprises about the Lone Wolf and Cub series is Kazuo Koike's ability to create stories that, while progressing along a familiar and recurring theme (assassin Ogami Itto continues down road of killing for hire), contain new twists and turns to ensure you're not going to want to leave the series alone.

Part of this is the strength of the character development and it's when Koike delves into the motives of his characters that we experience the tender side of the series - a stark contrast to the violence inflicted by and upon Ogami.

Black Wind contains two particularly beautiful tales. One explores the effects of all the violence on Diagoro, the assassin's toddler son. The other is an interesting exploration of the mind of Ogami and how he reacts to the inevitable development of new technology - gunpowder in this case of feudal Japan. Both stories are as surprising as they are fascinating, giving an insight into the differences between Japanese and Western cultures.

Kojima adds his dynamic yet subtle visuals to the mix and you've got a wonderful storytelling team, creating spellbinding work. Enjoy.