Title
Lone Wolf and Cub: The Gateless Barrier

Words by
Kazuo Koike

Art by
Goseki Kojima

Story


Art


Overall


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Lone Wolf and Cub 2: The Gateless Barrier

This collection of five short stories takes us further down the road travelled by Lone Wolf, an ex-samurai assassin, and his young son. Each of the stories stand alone, though we witness the development of the boy who is becoming less of a baby, capable of walking, talking and getting himself into scrapes.

The collection of stories here focus on the difficulty of the path our hero treads. His reputation is beginning to precede him, forcing him into situations where he has to kill without purpose, because those he encounters feel their only chance is to strike first. When there is nothing but random chance bringing them together, the situation is as drenched in bitter irony as it is in blood.

There is also one complex story in which Lone Wolf is charged with assassinating a religious leader for no other reason than that his samurai neighbour doesn't like the way he's trying to force down taxes to allow the populace some financial help. Lone Wolf goes a long way out of his way to develop his craft to a level that can allow him to attack such a high-level religious leader.

This complicates our view of the man further. His parenting ability is called into question, his values are questioned, and the moral minefield through which he's travelling is thrown wide open. This is a wonderful piece of work laden with complexity, gazing upon the politics and society of feudal Japan through the eyes of an outsider who is yet intrinsically tied to its core. The format remains a little awkward, but the story gets better and better.