Lone Wolf and CubIf ever there was a legendary manga that was known world wide, even amongst those who claim they are not manga fans, it would have to be Lone Wolf and Cub (Kozure Okami). Lone Wolf and Cub was created back in 1970 by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. It is a legendary samurai epic that has been converted into TV series, live action movies, video games, and more. For many in the Western audience, you might be familiar with the films, based on the comics, as being the Shogun Assassin series. This series has influenced many, from the likes of Frank Miller to Max Allan Collins, Darren Aronofsky to Genndy Tartakovsky, and of course Stan Sakai, who recently worked with Koike and, Dark Horse Founder, Mike Richardson on Dark Horse’s 47 Ronin. It is even rumored that director Justin Lin is signed on to direct an American remake of Lone Wolf and Cub for Kamala Films after his Fast & Furious contract is up.

Lone Wolf and Cub ran for 28 volumes between September of 1970 and April 1976, filled with over 8,700 pages of stunning artwork and dramatic story. First published in the US under First Comics in 1987, the license was eventually picked up by Dark Horse in the year 2000. Dark Horse published all 28 volumes of Lone Wolf and Cub in a small bunkoban style format, measuring 4″ x 6″. Starting in May of this year, Dark Horse began reprinting the series in a larger (5″ x 7″) omnibus format that contained just short of 3 of the normal volumes per omnibus. But this is not all the news related to Lone Wolf and Cub Dark Horse has provided this year.

Back in 2004, Koike returned to his masterpiece with Shin Kozure Okami, The New Lone Wolf and Cub. At this point, artist Goseki Kojima had unfortunately passed away. Koike thusly brought on manga artist Hideki Morri (Bokko) to draw his masterfully written sequel that picked up right where volume 28 of Lone Wolf and Cub left off. The sequel series ran 11 volumes from 2004 through 2007. In 2006, at New York Comic Con, Dark Horse had announced they obtained the US license for The New Lone Wolf and Cub. Sadly, due to licensing issues, nothing was ever released. Now, as of Anime Expo 2013, Dark Horse has announced they fully intend to publish The New Lone Wolf and Cub and the first volume should see release in early 2014!

Now here is the big news:

Kazuo Koike has been writing manga for over 40 years, with major releases beyond Lone Wolf and Cub, such as Lady Snowblood, Path of the Assassin, Samurai Executioner, and Crying Freeman. Koike even wrote a Hulk Manga strip and an issue of X-men Unlimited! But sadly, most US fans have likely never had the chance to meet this legendary author. But as Dark Horse celebrates their 25th year of manga publishing (with many of Koike’s manga published by Dark Horse in the US), they want to change that! Yes, Dark Horse is bringing Japanese creator and Eisner Hall of Fame inductee Kazuo Koike back to San Diego’s Comic Con International this year! Fans attending this year’s Comic Con can come to the Dark Horse booth and meet Koike, while getting their manga signed by the 77 year old legend. Koike will be signing at the Dark Horse booth (#2615) on Thursday, July 18th at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., as well as on Friday, July 19th at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Make sure you stop by, as you know we won’t be missing this opportunity!