There’s no shortage of must-read manga out there, but if you’re looking for a groundbreaking samurai epic, you owe it to yourself to check out Lone Wolf and Cub. Written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Goseki Kojima, the manga series is being collected in new Deluxe Edition hardcovers by Dark Horse, and the first two are now available to preorder for $55 each. The first volume releases December 9, and Volume 2 hits stores next March.
$55 | Releases December 9
Lone Wolf and Cub originally ran for 28 volumes from 1970 through 1976. The manga tells the story of Ogami Itto, who once served as the shogun’s executioner until he was framed by the rival Yagyu clan and fell from grace. After his wife is murdered, Itto has to raise his three-year-old son on his own as he embarks on the path of the ronin and seeks vengeance.
This new version of the classic manga reprints it an oversized 7″ x 10″ format so that you can soak up all the beautiful details from the artwork. The cover has a grainy texture, burnishing, and features foil-stamped lettering and illustrations. It also has a built-in ribbon bookmark and is printed in the traditional right-to-left manga format.
At 720 pages, Deluxe Edition Book 1 covers Lone Wolf and Cub Volumes 1-2, with several stories from Volume 3.
$55 | Releases March 24, 2026
The second Lone Wolf and Cub Deluxe Edition keeps the same oversized hardcover format intact, and it’s also 720 pages. It retains the same cover aesthetic but with a different character illustration. It will have all of the same premium features as the first book, including a grain-texture cover with foil-stamped lettering and a ribbon bookmark. It collects the rest of Volume 3 as well as Volumes 4 and 5.
The story sees Itto continue his relentless quest for retribution, facing off against enemies while protecting his son. With the bodies piling up, the Yagyu Clan sends both an elite assassin and a skilled swordsman from another rival clan to deal with Itto once and for all.
Lone Wolf and Cub Omnibus Editions
If you’d like the full manga collection, Dark Horse does offer omnibus editions that you can collect–priced at $25 each–albeit with a more standard quality in comparison to the deluxe versions listed above. Most of the omnibus editions are on sale for around $20 each.
Lone Wolf and Cub has been critically acclaimed for decades as they weaved together a touching tale about fatherhood with unrestrained violence, and it’s considered to be one of the most influential manga series of all time. It has been credited for starting the genre of a powerful man protecting a child as they embark on a perilous journey, and it has been adapted into films and television series over the years.
There were six Lone Wolf and Cub movies released between 1972-1974, and the entire collection is available on Blu-ray for $50 (was $100) as part of the Criterion Collection’s 50% off sale at Amazon. This promotion expires July 27, so check it out while you can.
It’s a brutal and bloody collection of films, and the Criterion Collection enhances them with digital restorations, uncompressed monoaural soundtracks, and a ton of bonus materials.
For more premium manga, check out our story on Vagabond’s ongoing Definitive Edition series. At the bottom, we have an updated list of deals and preorders, including the soon-to-be-released Planetes Deluxe Edition from Dark Horse Manga.
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