Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 25: Perhaps in Death [Paperback]

Kazuo Koike (Author), Goseki Kojima (Author), Kazuo Koike (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lone Wolf and Cub (Dark Horse) | Publication Date: September 20, 2002

The mortal enemy of our ronin hero, Retsudo Yagyu has been imprisoned in Edo castle by the shogun. It seems the conniving poisoner, Abeno Kaii, has exposed the Yagyu letter! And Yagyu's jailer is none other than the poisoner himself, determined to feed Retsudo the dose that will end his life in a pit of dishonor. But Yagu has spies even in Edo caslte, and a message is sent to his "grass," members of the clan hiding in secret, living as normal townspeople throughout Japan. It is up to them to give their lives in this final hour of desperate need. Meanwhile, Itto Ogami is living in a shack and training his little boy for the day when he must protect the battlefield with his own little hands. Still, two swords remain in this field of death, awaiting the two hands that will draw them from the soil and bring us closer to the end of our tale.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (September 20, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569715971
• ISBN-13: 978-1569715970
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 4.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #480,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The grass are summoned to Edo as Retsudo is delayed, January 19, 2003

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 25: Perhaps in Death (Paperback)

The fact that I know there are 28 volumes in the Lone Wolf & Cub epic certainly enters into how I read the stories collected in Volume 25, "Perhaps in Death." If I was reading Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima's epic manga as a regular comic book then the way the final confrontation between Ogami Itto and Retsudo Yagyu is being drawn out may very well have driven me crazy. But given the perspective of the long view there can be a greater appreciation for how these final impediments only add to the grandeur of the conflict. Although poisoning the blades of the two samurai failed to kill either one of the foes, Abe-No-Kaii has revealed the Yagyu letter to the Shogun and Retsudo is now under house arrest:

(122) "Perhaps in Death" focuses on Okan as she obeys Retsudo Yagyu's orders and uses the Wolf Fire to call forth the grass to Edo to aid their master. Meanwhile, Abe-No-Kaii watches over Retsudo while trying to come up with a new poison plot and Ogami Itto learns that his foe may be delayed in returning to the place where their two swords are standing in the ground.

(123) "Tales of the Grass: Oyamada Shume" is the first of a trilogy of stories on how the grass, members of the Yagyu clan hidding in secret by living as ordinary folk throughout Japan, respond to the call, of the Wolf Fire. Not only must they pass along the signal, they are also required to fake their deaths.

(124) "Tales of the Grass: Nakodera Busho" finds the call of the Wolf Fire coming next to a priest while ringing his temple bell.

(125) "Tales of the Grass: A Day Like Any Other" is the final story of this trio about the grass being called to Edo, and one of the most upsetting tales in the Lone Wolf & Cub saga. I have been reading one episode an evening before going to sleep, and it was difficult to sleep after this one.

(126) "Breakfast, Lunch, Snack, and Brunch" finds Abe-No-Kaii deciding to use Retsudo Yagyu's pride against him since the old man refuses to eat or drink anything set before him by the servants of the master poisoner. But Kaii's spies also report that Retsudo is just sitting there, not even lying down to sleep. The story continues the developing effort to make Retsudo a nobler figure, both in contrast to Kaii and even in comparison to Ogami Itto.

(127) "By His Own Hand" finally returns us to Ogami Itto and Daigoro, who are being watched by the Shogun's bugyo. In a shack by the shore the young boy practices repeatedly with a long stick, suddenly rushing at his father and whacking him. Those watching have figured out the meaning of the two swords stuck in the ground and the hundred mounds each covered with a stone, but they cannot understand the lesson that is being taught by father to son.

I sure hope the final volume of Lone Wolf & Cub is published soon (it has already been delayed almost a month) so that I do not have a gap in my reading experience, but certainly I could appreciate the lesson if that turns out to be the case. I have not bothered to find out the original schedule these comics were published, but assuming a montly schedule this volume would mark ten years worth of stories and I would be hard pressed to name another comic book that maintained this high of a standard for so long a period of time. When you step back and look at the epic in its totality you can appreciate the way Koike and Kojima are putting the pieces into place, slowly but surely.

5.0 out of 5 stars A great series by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima!, October 6, 2007

By 

Ronin T. "RoninDH" (New Orleans, LA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 25: Perhaps in Death (Paperback)

I own all of the original japanese press runs, as well as the comic book/graphic novel style of the USA versions of this series. I now own the almost complete set of the smaller manga tpb style series. For anyone interested in historical Japan, this series is a great look into it. I've been a long time collecter or almost everything that Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima have ever done, and I even own some books and novels that were never released in the USA or translated into English by them. Their creative story lines and tradtional style of graphics are just outstanding! I can highly recommend this series!

5.0 out of 5 stars The saga approaches its finale, December 29, 2002

By 

Andrew Limsk (Kuala Lumpur, MY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 25: Perhaps in Death (Paperback)

Yagyu Retsudo, the mortal enemy of Lone Wolf and Cub is finally brought up on charges of treason against the Shogun for the infamous Yagyu letters. Awaiting trial under the care of the poisoner Abe who plots to kill him still, Retsudo summons the 'Grass' in a final attempt to change his fate - ninja infiltrators hidden for generations among the Samurai families all over Japan. Duty, the main tenet of Bushido is evident in the way the ninja obediently destroy all traces of their former lives (and in some cases, their offspring as well) as farmers, soldiers, and priests, to answer Retsudo's call to arms. Elsewhere, Ogami Itto patiently awaits his promised duel with Retsudo while teaching son Diagoro what it means to wield the sword of the Samurai.

Having followed the saga of Ogami Itto and his son Diagoro since book #1, I must say the stories keep getting better and better. While there is less of the violent physical encounters that characterized Itto's earlier adventures, the tales depicted in the book are no less gripping. I particularly liked the focus on the other major character of the series, Itto's nemesis Yagyu Retsudo. One could almost admire the man for his tenacity, honour, and Bushido spirit, despite his ruthlessness.