47 Ronin Issue 1-5 Issue 1-5.

Lord Asano, honorable but naive in the ways of the Shogun's court, offends court functionary Kira Yoshinaka by refusing to give in to the latter's crass demands for a bribe. What follows is a campaign of harassment and sabotage by Kira; finally pressed too far, Asano draws his sword on the functionary-an unforgivable violation of the Shogun's regulations. Asano is ordered to commit seppuku (ritual suicide), his lands are seized and his household is scattered. Kira's victory appears complete, save for one thing: the determination of Asano's legion of faithful retainers-men willing to go to legendary extremes to win justice for Asano. Emerging as one of Japan's most popular folk tales (perhaps similar to our own Robin Hood), despite the censorship laws of Genroku-era Japan, the story of the 47 ronin (masterless samurai) has been adapted many times in almost every conceivable medium. Richardson, whose day job is Dark Horse publisher, and Sakai (much-honored creator of Uasgi Yojimbo) treat the source material with respect and skill, Richardson's craft as a storyteller is more than matched by Sakai's ability to convey both thoughtful introspection and lightning-fast action in a series of still drawings. The result is a homage more than worthy of its source material. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Richardson, founder of Dark Horse Comics, and Sakai, creator of the long-running and award-laden Usagi Yojimbo samurai series, combine talents to produce this terrific graphic interpretation of one of Japan's most important sagas. After Lord Asano is goaded into an illegal attack upon Lord Kira and then sentenced to commit seppuku (stomach-cutting, a form of Japanese ritual suicide), 47 of Asano's loyal samurai vow to restore his dignity. Each ronin feigns a fall from honor in order to convince Kira that he is safe from vengeance so that their final, deadly attack comes as a complete surprise. In Richardson's notes, he quotes an old saying about the 47 ronin: "to know the 47 Ronin is to know Japan." Both writer and illustrator show their respect for this legendary story in the depth of their preparatory research. Richardson consulted with Kazuo Koike, creator of Lone Wolf and Cub, while Sakai studied the woodblock prints of Meiji period (1868-1912) artist Ogata Gekko. Verdict The level of talent, the research, and the attention to both narrative and artistic detail shine through in this volume, certain to be the definitive graphic version for some time to come.-Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Lib., Wisconsin Rapids (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.