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The "Lone Wolf and Cub" formula has really taken over pop culture of late. It makes sense enough: the premise of writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima's original '70s manga -- a wandering loner becomes the caretaker of an extraordinary youngster -- is endlessly malleable. It can just as easily work in a comparatively realistic future where society has collapsed ("The Last of Us") as it can in a fantasy world completely removed from our own ("The Witcher") or even long ago in a galaxy far, far away ("The Mandalorian").

Director Gareth Edward's 2023 sci-fi film "The Creator" transposes that template onto the latter half of the 21st century, where a war between humanity and AI robots rages on 15 years after the nuclear destruction of Los Angeles. Edwards heavily evokes the iconography of Vietnam War cinema for the movie's depiction of New Asia, an amalgamation of several Asian...

Welcome to this brand-new feature here on Nerdly, where one of our comic gurus, Ian Wells, delves into comics history and dissects Comics Interview, the long-running journal of interviews and criticism from David Anthony Kraft.

Up Front With Dak

From this point forward I will be referring to David Anthony Kraft as Dak. He kicks things up this month by saying how well-received the first issue was. So well received in fact that starting with this very issue Comics Interview will be going monthly! The new monthly schedule will result in some fine-tuning issue by issue for what articles appear. One idea he has already is to have colourists and letters rotate month to month. In this issue the Mark Evanier interview doubles up as writer and editor feature, also an inker interview is absent. Dak makes the point to say everyone working on Ci with him is doing so...

This post contains spoilers for "The Mandalorian" season 3 premiere.

"The Mandalorian" star Pedro Pascal spends the vast majority of his screen time underneath an impenetrable beskar steel helmet, so it's fitting that some of the show's most interesting guest stars are also hidden underneath helmets, prosthetics, or CGI. The season 3 premiere (sort of) brings back Ig-11, the bounty hunter turned nanny droid voiced by Taika Waititi. Mando's ugnaught ally, Kuiil, was voiced by Nick Nolte. And season 2's hidden guest stars included John Leguizamo as the cyclopean gangster Gor Koresh.

"Sweet Tooth" lead Nonso Anozie is a particularly apt addition to the "Mandalorian" season 3 cast, however, for reasons I'll get into in a moment. Also known for playing Xaro Xhoan Daxos in "Game of Thrones," Anozie is present in the premiere as the voice of space pirate king Gorian Shard. As you can see above, Gorian Shard bears...

Over the course of 45 years and counting, "Star Wars" has evolved and branched into various shades of storytelling, from the gritty, grounded feel of "Andor" to the lore-heavy, adventure-of-the-week style narrative of "The Bad Batch." At its core, the franchise has always been heavily influenced by samurai films and space westerns, with George Lucas paying homage to the genres that shaped his artistic sensibilities. Although Lucas might not be directly involved with the acclaimed Disney+ series "The Mandalorian" — created and executive produced by Jon Favreau — the series proudly wears its samurai and spaghetti western influences on its sleeve. Playing out as a modern sci-fi with futuristic fantasy worldbuilding, "The Mandalorian" embraces its genre influences and subverts them to good measure, where bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) plays the dual roles of a lone ranger and doting father figure, which situates him in the crossroads of questioning "the way."

The...

Tales of hardened, violent loners picking up lively, younger traveling companions are certainly having a moment. Whether it's "The Last of Us," "The Mandalorian," "The Witcher," or a movie like "The Gray Man," they seem to be every which way you turn in the world of streaming these days. It's nothing new, of course. Writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima helped shape the mold for these types of stories when they launched "Lone Wolf and Cub" in 1970. Even people who've never read their incredibly influential manga series (nor seen any of its adaptations in other media) know exactly what you mean when you describe something as having "Lone Wolf" vibes.

Speaking on the official podcast for "The Last of Us" season 1, episode 6, "Kin," co-creator Neil Druckmann talked a little about his own inspirations while directing the original Naughty Dog video game franchise that inspired HBO's widely acclaimed (and relentlessly feel-bad) post-apocalyptic prestige series.

While recently talking about the movies which would make up his retrospective, Tom Hanks, the star of Big, Splash, Philadelphia, and Saving Private Ryan, told CinemaBlend’s ReelBlend Podcast: “For one reason or another, no one references Road to Perdition.” It’s a curiosity he can’t really explain, but he makes a strong argument for the 2002 film, emphasizing how it features “two guys who turned out to be two of the biggest motion picture presences in the history of the industry with Jude Law and [Daniel] Craig.”

Hanks is only saying what mob movie aficionados have been whispering because of omerta laws for years. Road to Perdition is a gangster film classic even if it is based on a graphic novel.

Cinema legend Paul Newman was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in his final feature film performance, here as crime family boss John Rooney. It was also director...

by Jack Ford

“Shogun Assassin” is a somewhat notorious title and one frowned upon by some purists. While Japanese in origin, this film is an amalgamation of the first two films in Toho Studios’ “Lone Wolf and Cub” series, assembled by American filmmaker Robert Houston, who also created new English dialogue and a new title for his version. It is not certain why the decision was made to introduce the Lone Wolf and Cub series – themselves adaptations of the manga series of the same name written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Goseki Kojima – to western markets this way. There existed an in-built audience for chambara films overseas and others in the genre had been released in the same territories untampered with.

Nevertheless, It turns out that these films were in safe hands. Despite not having much of a good reason to exist, “Shogun Assassin” not only...

The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 25th edition as a virtual event accessible to audiences across Canada, with a

dynamic program of scheduled screenings and premieres, panels, and workshops running from August 5 through August 25, 2021, once again using the leading-edge platform created by Festival Scope and Shift72.

As the summer approaches, the festival will be following advice from local health authorities, with the possibility of also adding a range of flagship physical events to the lineup.

Last summer’s virtual edition was a phenomenal success, screening to 85000 spectators and amassing a record amount of media coverage, with 475 accredited journalists from around the world covering Fantasia and its titles. The lineup showcased 104 features, a quarter of which were World Premieres, with the majority securing distribution out of the festival, with highlights including “The Block Island Sound” selling to Netflix, “Come True” to IFC, “The Paper Tigers” to WellGo USA,...

Taking place this August as a virtual event for viewers in Canada, the 25th annual Fantasia International Film Festival will open with the world premiere of the zombie comedy Brain Freeze:

Press Release: Thursday, April 8, 2021 // Montreal, Quebec -- The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 25th edition as a virtual event accessible to audiences across Canada, with a dynamic program of scheduled screenings and premieres, panels, and workshops running from August 5 through August 25, 2021, once again using the leading-edge platform created by Festival Scope and Shift72.

As the summer approaches, the festival will be following advice from local health authorities, with the possibility of also adding a range of flagship physical events to the lineup.

Last summer’s virtual edition was a phenomenal success, screening to 85000 spectators and amassing a record amount of media coverage, with 475 accredited journalists from around the world covering Fantasia and its titles. The lineup showcased 104 features,...

Probably Tom Mes’s biggest trait as a writer is the fact that he manages to combine academic-level analysis with a style of writing that is quite easy to read. This has been exhibited in his previous book about Takashi Miike, Shinya Tsukamoto and Meiko Kaji, but seems to have found its apogee in his latest effort, about the cult-samurai movie series, “Lone Wolf and Cub”.

To begin with, the research is as thorough as possible and spares no detail about not only the movies, but every aspect that surrounds them. In that fashion, the first part of the book begins with the story of the manga and its two creators, Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, continues with the concept of Bushido and its presentation (and deconstruction) in Japanese cinema, and concludes with the life stories of director Kenji Misumi, who directed the first three entries, and Tomisaburo Wakayama,...

Rosie Knight Dec 27, 2019

If you love Star Wars: The Mandalorian, you should be reading the Lone Wolf and Cub manga that inspired its main storyline.

This Star Wars article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian.

A lone man stands against a failing Empire. By his side is a small infant, seemingly harmless and completely vulnerable without the warrior at its side. If you've been watching Disney+'s epic slowburn space western The Mandalorian, you might think that we're talking about episode two of the show, which centers on the titular hero and his new charge, a young alien who appears to be the same species as Master Yoda. But, in fact, we're describing the setup of Lone Wolf and Cub, one of the longest running and most iconic manga series of all time and a huge influence on the unexpectedly sweet story at the heart of the first live-action Star Wars series.

According to reports, Justin Lin ("Star Trek: Beyond") will produce and direct a feature adaptation of the 'manga' comics series "Lone Wolf and Cub" for Paramount:

Created by writer Kazuo Koike and illustrator Goseki Kojima, "Lone Wolf and Cub" started publishing in Japan (1970), acclaimed for historical accuracy and influential in Japanese pop culture, spawning movies and TV series.

"...'shogun’ executioner 'Itto Ogami', starts on a path of revenge after his family is killed, leaving only his infant son 'Daigoro' alive.

"As he grows up, Daigoro is trained to be a fearsome warrior and joins his father as they travel the country and seek vengeance against the clan that changed their lives..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Lone Wolf and Cub"...

Buy "Lone Wolf And Cub" Comic Books Here...

Ogami Ittō may reignite his quest for vengeance as Paramount has hired 'Seven' writer Andrew Kevin Walker to script 'Lone Wolf and Cub' Hollywood debut. Justin Lin will be producing and hopes to direct the adaptation.

'Lone Wolf and Cub' was created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima and chronicles the story of Ogami Ittō, the Shogun's executioner who uses a dōtanuki battle sword. Disgraced by false accusations from the Yagyū clan, he is forced to take the path of the assassin. Along with his three-year-old son, Daigorō, they seek revenge on the Yagyū clan and are known as "Lone Wolf and Cub".

The manga was already adapted into a series of films starting Tomisaburo Wakayama as Ogami Ittō and Akihiro Tomikawa as his infant son Daigoro, these were reedited to make the awesome cult classic 'Shogun Assassin!'...

Paramount Pictures is producing an adaptation of the classic 1970s manga Lone Wolf and Cub. And they are starting to develop it... again. The project has been in and out of development since 2003. At one point, Darren Aronofsky was attached to direct, but that's no longer the case. According to THR, the studio has hired Seven and Sleepy Hollow screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker to write the script, which is a step in the right direction.

If you're not familiar with Lone Wolf and Cub, it was created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. It's an epic revenge story that was told over the course of 9,000 pages by the time it was done! The manga is "acclaimed for its storytelling and its historical accuracy. It was influential in Japanese pop culture, spawning movies, a television series and even plays."

The story told of a shogun’s executioner named Itto Ogami,...

Paramount has landed the adaptation of the seminal manga Lone Wolf and Cub, and now has Andrew Kevin Walker on board to write the script.

Justin Lin, who directed several of the Fast and Furious movies, and his Perfect Storm banner are producing the project along with Marissa McMahon and Kamala Films. Joshua Long is also among the producers. Lin, who has been associated with Cub since around 2012, is also looking to direct the feature.

Lone Wolf and Cub was created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima, who began publishing the manga series in Japan in 1970. The revenge...

Craig Lines Apr 5, 2017

Marvel? DC? They have their moments, but how about Shogun Assassin, and in turn, the Lone Wolf & Cub movies?

Like most western viewers, I came to the Lone Wolf & Cub series via Shogun Assassin – a recut/mash-up of the first two movies, trimmed to 90 minutes and dubbed into English by a pair of enterprising Andy Warhol acolytes. It was one of the original 'video nasties' in the UK, banned for years, so highly desirable to a kid like me. And it didn’t disappoint. In fact, it was probably the goriest movie on the list.

While it may seem criminal now to butcher a pair of bona fide Japanese classics and completely change their meaning and tone, Shogun Assassin got away with it by being so vibrant and hyperactive. The inappropriate score is a joyful synthesiser meltdown and the spirited dub goes full-pelt, even if what they...

Stars: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Akihiro Tomikawa, Yunosuke Ito, Go Kato | Written by Kazuo Koike, Tsutomu Nakamura | Directed by Kenji Misumi, Buichi Saito, Yoshiyuki Kuroda

Producing six films across two years (1972-1974) is no mean feat, especially when you consider that they mostly retain their quality throughout. Based on the 28-volume manga series by Kazuo Koike (writer, who adapts for screen) and Goseki Kojima (illustrator), Lone Wolf and Cub is a set of brisk, ultraviolent action-adventure movies, packed with clever ideas, beautiful scenery, and weird characters, set in the Edo period (17th to 19th centuries) of Japan.

Martial arts star Tomisaburo Wakayama plays Itto Ogami (meaning “wolf”), an ex-Shogunate Executioner whose wife is murdered by the fearful Yagyu clan, led by the cruel Retsudo (Yunosuke Ito). Framed and shamed into exile, Ogami takes his son, Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa), and hits the road. Not just any road, but the “Demon Way in Hell...

You'll always be careful with knives after seeing the outrageous, impossibly gory violence of this brain-warping samurai series from the early 1970s. Tomisaburo Wakabayashi rolls his tiny tot Daigoro through feudal Japan, looking for trouble. There's simply been nothing like it: breathtakingly beautiful images aestheticize bloodletting as never before or since. Lone Wolf and Cub Sword of Vengeance, Baby Cart at the River Styx, Baby Cart to Hades, Baby Cart in Peril, Baby Cart in the Land of Demons, White Heaven in Hell + Shogun Assassin Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 841 1972-1974 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 630 + min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 8, 2016 / 99.95 Starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, Akihiro Tomikawa. Written by Kazuo Koike, Goseki Kojima Produced by Shintaro Katsu, Hisaharu Matsubara, Tomisaburo Wakayama Directed by Kenji Misumi, Buichi Saito, Yoshiyuki Kuroda

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

In an unexpected move, Criterion has released one of the most influential Japanese film series of the 1970s,...

November tends to be the biggest month of the year for the Criterion Collection, the boutique home video company releasing some of their most exciting releases in time for the holiday shopping season. And, lucky for us, that trend continues in 2016, as Criterion has just revealed this year’s batch of November titles, and the slate includes some absolutely major must-owns. From Paul Thomas Anderson finally joining the Collection (and bringing Adam Sandler along with him!) to a series of samurai films that have never gotten their proper due, these are movies that are worth stampeding for on Black Friday.

Check out Criterion’s full November 2016 slate below, listed in rough order of our excitement for each title. And be sure to visit Criterion’s website for full release info.

1. “Punch-Drunk Love” (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002). #843

It was only a matter of time before Paul Thomas Anderson finally joined the Criterion Collection,...

Back in 2012, Justin Lin (Fast and Furious) was attached to direct a new big-screen version of Lone Wolf and Cub, an iconic Japanese manga about an honorable executioner whose family, except for his newborn son, is killed. The executioner is falsely accused of being a traitor and becomes an assassin, all while caring for his infant son and seeking justice. First published in 1970, the manga became immensely popular in Japan. It's an epic story, told over 28 volumes by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima, and it eventually inspired six movies, four plays and a television series. The Japanese-language movies were made in quick succession from 1972 to 1974, receiving limited distribution in the U.S. (See poster above for Lightning Swords of Death, the third installment...

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The age I dreamed of for years finally seems to be coming. Anime and manga fans may finally start seeing a bunch of their favorite series get adapted to the big screen. Right now, Ghost In The Shell is in production, Justin Lin is reportedly being eyed to direct the long-gestating Akira film, and according to new report from Variety, the manga Lone Wolf And Cub's remake and sequel rights have just been acquired by Sp International. This is the same studio that is currently producing the Ghost In The Shell film.

Lone Wolf And Cub is no stranger to adaptations. The 1970s manga, written by Kazuo Koike and drawn by Goseki Kojima, has been adapted into several movies as well as two full TV series in Japan. The property never had a Hollywood adaptation as of yet, but interestingly enough, Justin Lin, who is now being eyed for Akira,...

Lone Wolf And Cub, Koike Kazuo and Goseki Kojima’s stylish Japanese comic book series, is bound for the big screen via Sp International Pictures.

Currently collaborating with Paramount Pictures on a live-action rendition of Ghost in the Shell, studio producer Steven Paul told Variety that Lone Wolf and Cub will sidestep any potential whitewashing controversy by enlisting “an essentially Japanese cast” before making the defining jump into production in early 2017.

Hatched by Kazuo and Kojima-san back in 1970, Lone Wolf and Cub is something of a Japanese phenomenon, spawning numerous feature films, stage plays and even a TV show. In 1992, the Final Conflict movie adaptation told the tale of “a noble samurai [Ittō] plotted against and framed in an assassination conspiracy the samurai disobeys his Shogun’s orders and becomes an assassin for hire with his three-year-old son [Daigorō].”

We understand that that arc will serve as the foundation for Sp International Pictures’ all-new remake,...

40. Road to Perdition

One of the more surprising and lesser-known facts about Sam Mendes’ second film, Road to Perdition, is that it’s actually adapted from a graphic novel of the same name by Max Allan Collins. The plot follows Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks), an Irish mob enforcer as he goes on the run with his son Michael Jr. after Jr. witnesses a murder and their family is killed in an effort to cover up any witnesses. There’s many great things in this film that standout, such as Jude Law’s creepy performance as assassin Harlen Maguire, one of Paul Newman’s final and finest performances as mob boss John Rooney, and Hollywood got an early look at the talent of Daniel Craig as the unstable Connor Rooney. However, it’s the climax that remains the most memorable thing in it, featuring some of the most iconic work from...

Red Sonja and Cub

Art: Jonathan Lau

Colours: Stefani Renee

Letters: Simon Bowland

Cover: Jeffrey “Chamba” Cruz

Publisher: Dynamite

Purchase: http://www.tfaw.com/Profile/Red-Sonja-And-Cub-One-Shot___447119

Who wants a free history lesson? No one? Too bad, you’re getting one anyway! Originally published in 1970, Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima’s manga entitled Lone Wolf and Cub is one of the most seminal works in the comic medium. It’s timeless tale, Ogami Ittō and his infant son wander Japan seeking revenge on the clans that wronged him. The saga has been adapted, translated and re-told for decades. From Samurai Jack to Road to Perdition, its influence has spread well beyond the bindings of its pages.

Looking to pay homage, writer Jim Zub tacks his own version onto the Lone Wolf and Cub mythos translating the story to the pages of Dynamite’s hottest property: Red Sonja. Zub’s version...

Cinema is a kind of uber-art form that’s made up of a multitude of other forms of art including writing, directing, acting, drawing, design, photography and fashion. As such, film is, as all cinema aficionados know, a highly collaborative venture.

One of the most consistently fascinating collaborations in cinema is that of the director and actor.

This article will examine some of the great director & actor teams. It’s important to note that this piece is not intended as a film history survey detailing all the generally revered collaborations.

There is a wealth of information and study available on such duos as John Ford & John Wayne, Howard Hawks & John Wayne, Elia Kazan & Marlon Brando, Akira Kurosawa & Toshiro Mifune, Alfred Hitchcock & James Stewart, Ingmar Bergman & Max Von Sydow, Federico Fellini & Giulietta Masina/Marcello Mastroianni, Billy Wilder & Jack Lemmon, Francis Ford Coppola & Al Pacino, Woody Allen & Diane Keaton, Martin Scorsese & Robert DeNiro...

“Lone Wolf and Cub Omnibus Volume 1”

Written by Kazuo Koike

Drawn by Goseki Kojima

Cover by Frank Miller

Published by Dark Horse Manga

The Dark Horse Comics imprint Dark Horse Manga may not be one of the giants of North American manga distribution but they make up for their smaller library with consistently and quality. With a focus on mature-rated titles, the legendary “Lone Wolf and Cub” has been one of their bigger comics, which they started publishing in 2000 in regular manga-volume-format, eventually releasing all 28 books that compile the entire 8700+ page epic. A recent trend in manga distribution has been growing in popularity in North America, which is the “3-in-1”; releasing three volumes of a series in a single larger-sized book, which look better for display and are more cost efficient than buying the volumes separately. While this book is titled “Omnibus Volume 1” and not “3-in-1 Volume 1”, it takes the same approach,...

The film rights for the influential Japanese manga Lone Wolf And Cub has been acquired by Kamala Films, according to reports by Deadline. Justin Lin (Fast Five) is going to direct the film, while David Peoples (Blade Runner, Unforgiven, Twelve Monkeys) and Janet Peoples (Twelve Monkeys) will be responsible for the script. "I've long admired the Peoples and their enduring body of work. They're a wonderful match for Lone Wolf And Cub and I'm really looking forward to collaborating with them on this powerful, epic tale," Lin said. Originally created by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima in 1970, Lone Wolf And Cub has been adapted into a series of Japanese films, plays and television series. It tells the story of Ogami Ittō, the Shogun's chief...

There was a high demand for Justin Lin to direct movies after the success of Fast Five. With so many opportunities presented to him Lin had to prioritize between new projects and the untitled sixth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise. Now Deadline reports that Kamala Films has acquired the film rights to the Japanese manga Lone Wolf and Cub, which Lin has developing since last summer.

The original, created by Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. was set feudal Edo period, and chronicles the story of Ogami Itto, the Shogun’s elite executioner. In an attempt to take his position, the rival Yagyu clan falsely accuses Itto of a crime and murders his wife. Disgraced, Itto is forced to wander Japan with his three-year-old son Daigoro as an assassin for hire, earning the title “Lone Wolf and Cub.” Ultimately, Itto and Daigoro seek revenge on the Yagyu clan.

Is there anything cooler than samurai films?

One of the most beloved cult samurai films is set to get a much longed for high definition release thanks to the folks at AnimEigo, who will be releasing a brand new HD version of the famed film, Shogun Assassin. The film was first released on DVD in 2006 through the company, but this marks a new, restored version of the film, that will be released to mark the film’s 30th anniversary, this July, just in time for the San Diego Comic Con.

Pre-order the Shogun Assassin Blu-ray from Amazon

The new release will feature a collection of new features as well. This edition of the film will feature an over 10 minute long interview with the king of badassery himself, Samuel L. Jackson about his love for the film, and the genre as a whole, as well as a brand new commentary featuring producer David Weisman,...