Samurai Legend

    (CPM, 2003)
™ and © Central Park Media Corporation

With Lone Wolf & Cub finally reaching the end of its much delayed American publication, we really need another strong manga in the genre to take its place, and while we’re waiting for it, this Done in One volume will more than do.

If you don’t know much about feudal Japan, don’t let that stop you from enjoying what is, at it’s heart, a rousing saga full of strong characters and exhilarating swordplay. The publisher has helpfully provided us with “What’s What” and “Who’s Who” features to introduce the reader to the concepts and characters, not to mention all the footnotes scattered across the bottom of the pages. But all that background wouldn’t help if Samurai Legend were dull, and it’s anything but.

The cleanly and clearly told story of Yagyu Jubei, who’s equal parts genuine historical figure and hero of folk tales, makes distant, alien conflicts seem immediate and accessible to the modern, Western reader.

— S.A. Bennett
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