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Rating: 
Summary: The End of The Assassin's Road
Review: After 28 HUGE volumes, Lone Wolf and Cub finally comes to an end. On the one hand, I couldn't WAIT for the series to end, so I could see what happened to Itto Ogami and his son, Daigoro. Would they have their revenge against the Yagyu clan at last...? On the other hand, I knew I'd miss the characters and the magnificent work of creators Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima....Well, I've finally finished the series, and I miss Daigoro already... This final installment revolves around the showdown between Ogami & Daigoro and their nemesis, Retsudo Yagyu. Yagyu brings the final remnants of his "Grass" (Deep-cover Ninja who spend generations infiltrating villages in Japan) to the battlefield, and employs a truly insidious deception against Itto (Which I won't spoil!); I studiously avoided any situation that may have resulted in my discovering the end of the series before I got a chance to read it, and although I had a general idea of how the final battle would play out, I was still moved to tears at the final twenty pages..... If you haven't experienced any of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, I can't recommend them highly enough. I've been reading comics since I was two years old, and I have NEVER read such a finely wrought story; It ranks among my favorite works of fiction, right alongside Lonesome Dove and The Stand, and that's pretty damned impressive.......
Rating: 
Summary: `Grandson Of My Heart...'
Review: At last, the penultimate chapter of the Lone Wolf And Cub series - I had every one of the First Comics issues (and had everyone I knew hooked on them) and when they stopped production in 1989 or so, I did my best to try and locate the original telephone book Japanese edition - just so I could KNOW what happened. After 14 years of waiting (and buying the entire series over again when Dark Horse started the reprints two years ago), I'm finally at the end of the story. What an ending! In my heart I always figured it would turn out the way it did, but the final act actually moved me to tears. In the climactic end, the authors have not only brought their series full circle, they have made a comment on the state of bushido in history at that time. Its hard to write a review of this without giving it away - all I can say is this series must be collected and read from the very beginning to fully appreciate its scope and power. But it IS worth it. As always, the art is staggering and the minimalist dialogue perfectly suited. There has never been anything like Lone Wolf and Cub.
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Summary: Sad to finally end.
Review: I just finished this final volume of the lone wolf and cub series. It is an incredible series, by far the best comics I have ever read. I would echo others reviews about not reading this without reading the others. The power of the ending and the story as a whole will be lessened. I am still in shock about the ending and wish that there were another 28 about Daigoro and the future of the Yagyu
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Summary: If you haven't read this book, please take note!!!
Review: If you are about to read or order this final book, please read this! This volume has a glossary at the end, as do the others in the Dark Horse reprint of the series. Do not flip to the glossary in this volume; it's located adjacent to the final panels of the series and inadvertently seeing them may spoil your enjoyment of the book. Do without -- there's nothing in the glossary of this volume that isn't in a previous issue.
As for the content, the volume is an incredibly tense, poignant, surprising, and confusing conclusion that draws on the stories and themes of the earlier volumes. Read the books from start to finish. The first two volumes suffer from a weak translation and some clumsiness but from then Lone Wolf and Cub is thoughtful, visceral, transcendant series that will make you proud to be a comic book reader.
In thinking over these stories, I often thought back on "Beyond Fate" by Margaret Visser, a transcription of lectures about fate and honour, which I would also recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: If you are new to this series don't you DARE go near this book until you have read at least the last 6 volumes. If you are not if you like me have read this series from the start (which began for me back in the early 90's) it is the ultimate finish to the ultimate comic/novel whatever. For us who have followed the story of Ito and his son after all of these years it is a bittersweet ending. We've come to care for all of these characters. In the last 8 books we have even come to like and respect Retsudo. It is hard to let it go, even harder with the finish it had. I can't thing of a series that moved me more, who's quality was always high (I can thing of only one story in the 140 or so that I just hated there have been many classic moment, the art was always suburb and the stories just incredible. You will not spend any better reading money than this series, and for those who think of this only as a comic book, remember Japan thinks of things differently and so will you once you start reading. The ultimate ending to the ultimate series.
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: If you are new to this series don't you DARE go near this book until you have read at least the last 6 volumes. If you are not if you like me have read this series from the start (which began for me back in the early 90's) it is the ultimate finish to the ultimate comic/novel whatever. For us who have followed the story of Ito and his son after all of these years it is a bittersweet ending. We've come to care for all of these characters. In the last 8 books we have even come to like and respect Retsudo. It is hard to let it go, even harder with the finish it had. I can't thing of a series that moved me more, who's quality was always high (I can thing of only one story in the 140 or so that I just hated there have been many classic moment, the art was always suburb and the stories just incredible. You will not spend any better reading money than this series, and for those who think of this only as a comic book, remember Japan thinks of things differently and so will you once you start reading. The ultimate ending to the ultimate series.
Rating:
Summary: The End of the Road to Hell...
Review: In this final volume of the now-legendary series, Lone Wolf and Cub face their final battle against their enemy, Lord Restudo in a showdown that is nothing less than poetic and stunning. Being a reader of the series since it started being published in the U.S. (going on two years now...), the final shocking act committed in this series definitely struck a chord with me. A long journey has ended, and with it, a truly great epic series (sure to be among the finest in comic history or popular literature) has as well. Highly Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The End of the Road to Hell...
Review: In this final volume of the now-legendary series, Lone Wolf and Cub face their final battle against their enemy, Lord Restudo in a showdown that is nothing less than poetic and stunning. Being a reader of the series since it started being published in the U.S. (going on two years now...), the final shocking act committed in this series definitely struck a chord with me. A long journey has ended, and with it, a truly great epic series (sure to be among the finest in comic history or popular literature) has as well. Highly Recommended.
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Summary: Ogami Itto and Daigoro, Father and Child Forever
Review: The delayed publication of "Lone Wolf & Cub 28: The Lotus Throne," the final volume in this epic manga series from Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima, thwarted my efforts to read the 142 episodes from start to finish one story a night before going to sleep. When this book finally arrived to provide the ending to the final duel between Ogami Itto and Retsudo Yagyu I was sorely tempted to sit down and read the last five episodes in one sitting. But I stuck to the plan and did one a night so I could savor them all: (138) "Corpse Tree" finds the Yagyu grass out of explosives and forced to make a final frontal assault on Ogami Itto. Of course, they do not stand a chance against his Dotanuki blade, but there is a method to their madness and a reason the first wave of grass attack with the swords still in their iron-bound scabbards. (139) "Flute and Wave" begins with Daigoro tending to the serious wound of his father, and Ogami Itto imparting some significant words of wisdom. Then Retsudo appears and plays a tribute upon his flute for all of the dead. But with the grass having been cut, it is time to fell the Yagyu tree, even if all Lone Wolf has is the hilt of his sword. (140) "The Lotus Throne" shifts the focus from the fatal confrontation between Ogami Itto and Retsudo Yagyu to the concerns of the Shogun, who is determined to ride forth and witness the battle's outcome. But there are grave political implications if the Shogun were to become involved in a personal fight, and his councillors advise him against going. (141) "Empty Stirrups" provides a large audience for the duel on the sands between Ogami Itto and Retsudo Yagyu. What makes the duel fascinating at this point is that between the two combatants there is but a single sword. (142) "Arms" is the final chapter of the Lone Wolf & Cub story. Nothing more need be said. The best compliment I can give to the conclusion of the Lone Wolf & Cub saga is that while I did not exactly anticipate how the tale would end, I was certainly prepared for it as a reader. I savored the ending of this epic story the same way I did the end of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and the final episode of "M*A*S*H." Yes, "Lone Wolf & Cub" belongs in that rarified company because it is that good. At 142 episodes that is two months short of twelve years worth of stories, which establishes a standard that no other comic book on either side or either ocean can match. Frank Miller having a couple of great years on "Daredevil" seems like nothing compared to what Koike and Kojima have accomplished here, and Miller's "Daredevil" work was pretty good. I still have four of the "Lone Wolf & Cub" movies to enjoy and I like going back and discovering which episodes from the magna Koike has adapted for each film. But I also intend to go back and reread these 28 volumes (at a rate of one a day this time), because the second time around I can better appreciate the ebb and flow of the series, the strategic placement of those wonderful Daigoro stories, the "novels" within the greater epic, the unforgettable characters met along the Assassin's Road. The fact that as soon as I finally finished this 9,000 page story, I want to go back and start again, also speaks to how great this manga epic is for those fortunate enough to find their way to it.
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Summary: This Will Move You
Review: This is the last volume of the Lone Wolf and Cub series. Yes it is the end. I must say one thing first, if you read this book make sure to have read all the volumes before it. This is the only way to truly feel the impact...of this amazing story. If you have read this far there is no need for me to describe the plot. So I am speaking to those who have read some but not all of the series. This is not at all disappointing in the least. It is well worth the money and the ending is truly something to be read for oneself. I am 22 years old and this "comic book" brought tears to my eyes. Never, and alot of people say never, but TRULY never have I read anything so well put together. Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima are truly talented.
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