Comic books in 'Sword', graded by CBCS

by MIKE KENNEDY and FRANCISCO RUIZ VELASCO Having fled the corporate armed forces of Cygnat Owari through the bowels of Southeast Asia, young Daisy and her synthetic protector Itto find refuge in the last place anyone would dare look for them: Ground Zero. Once a bustling suburb of Taipei, the haunted walls of Sungshan, Taiwan are now scorched with the images of the War Spore's first victims. And it is here amongst the ghosts that the Warrior and child find a moment of Peace. As Itto takes stock of their situation, he analyzes the new directives that have merged so completely with his original programming ? a mysterious bundle of code known only as "Bushido." But this moment of peace proves to be as fleeting as summer snow... Lone Wolf 2100 continues the saga inspired by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima's seminal manga series Lone Wolf and Cub. On sale November 27 FC, 32pg . . . $2.99 Cover price $2.99.

by MIKE KENNEDY and FRANCISCO RUIZ VELASCO Rumors of Sanctuary lead Itto and Daisy on a perilous journey across the open Asian desert in hopes of escaping the mercenary tracker Prescott and his deadly band of Vapor Fist Soldiers. But the enemy behind them is not as immidiate as the enemy in front of them...When they cross paths with a nomadic tribe of cyborg outcasts, they learn many new lessons in survival, including the importance of finely-tuned paranoia... On sale December 26 FC, 32pg . . . $2.99 Cover price $2.99.

MIKE KENNEDY FRANCISCO RUIZ VELASCO On sale May 14, FC, 32pg, $2.99 A New Two-Issue Arc Begins Here! They have him. But can they hold him? Wrapped in the talons of Cygnat Owari's Inner Security, Itto must rely on not only his physical strength, but the strength of will he has honed during his many months in flight. If he fails, the seductive Belladonna will learn the whereabouts of young Daisy Ogami, and all hope for mankind will be lost. But Belladonna can be quite convincing, with a whole bag of interrogation tricks at her disposal. Conspiratorial layers are revealed in part one of "Pattern Storm," a significant flagstone in the futuristic action saga inspired by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima's seminal manga series Lone Wolf and Cub. Cover price $2.99.

MIKE KENNEDY and FRANCISCO RUIZ VELASCO On sale June 11, FC, 32pg, $2.99 The Conclusion of "Pattern Storm"! Disentangling himself from Belladonna's evil machinations and mental snares is one thing. Escaping the clutches of the rest of his former companions on Cygnat Owari's Inner Security Team is quite another, as Itto discovers. But in some ways, the fight is easier now: Terasawa's plot is exposed; Daisy Ogami's secret is revealed; and the battle lines are more clearly drawn. And maybe, just maybe, Itto will now find allies in unexpected places... Don't miss this important issue in the Lone Wolf 2100 saga! Cover price $2.99.

Written by Mike Kennedy. Art and by Francisco Ruiz Velasco. Stripped of three of his eight android senses, Itto's fighting skills are put to their ultimate test as he launches a solo assault on the Cynat Owari corporation's computer brain trust. If he is to find the key to extracting the cure for the War Spore virus from Daisy Ogami's blood, he must carry his quest to the heart of the enemy's stronghold. The fates of both humanity and androidkind are tied to the cure, and Cygnat Owari's android leader will stop at nothing to destroy Itto and Daisy. And for Itto, succeeding in his mission may result in his own demise! 32 pages, FC.   Cover price $2.99.

Written by Eric Heisserer. Art by Miguel Sepulveda and Javier Mena. Cover by Brian Kalin O'Connell. 2100 CE: A devastating manmade plague is turning the human race into cannibalistic monsters known as the Thrall. But there is hope: young Daisy Ogami's blood holds the secret to a cure-if Itto, her android protector, can get her to a place where it can be extracted! 28 pages, full color. Cover price $3.99.

Written by Eric Heisserer. Art by Miguel Sepulveda. Cover by Brian Kalin O'Connell. Soldiers have come, sent by governments fearful that another will be the first to benefit from a vaccine harvested from young Daisy Ogami's blood. In the middle of the Pacific, an ambush takes place. But Daisy's protector, the android Itto, is ready with a counterambush . . . The blood spilled will not be Daisy's! 28 pages, full color. Cover price $3.99.

Written by Eric Heisserer. Art by Miguel Sepulveda. Cover by Brian Kalin O'Connell. The fate of the human race comes down to a final battle on the coast of Japan! Daisy Ogami holds the key to a cure for a killer virus, but only Itto, her android bodyguard, can protect her from those who would let the plague continue! 28 pages, full color. Cover price $3.99.

by MIKE KENNEDY and FRANCISCO RUIZ VELASCO Now available for the first time anywhere, information ripped from the secret files of Terasawa, the android avatar of the Cygnat Owari's Supreme Executive. Learn the hidden truth behind Dr. Ogami's murder! Discover the classified details of the robot, android, and human assassins employed by Terasawa in his quest to destroy Itto and return Daisy Ogami to the Cygnat Owari labs! Find out how Terasawa has used the man made plague known as the War Spore to his own ends! More than just a "handbook" with information about the characters, these secret files tell an important story that forms the backdrop to all of Itto and Daisy's adventures! This dossier-style book is packed with information and drawings that were part and parcel of the development of the hit series Lone Wolf 2100. Also includes dozens of new illustrations and designs! On sale January 15 FC, 32pg (one-shot) . . . $2.99 Cover price $2.99.

First printing. Frank Miller introduction and cover. Wrongfully accused of plotting to overthrow the Shogun, Itto Ogami becomes an outlaw, wandering through the provinces of feudal Japan, seeking vengeance for the murder of his wife and family. Awesome stories by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojma, presented in fantastic black and white art. Each issue in this series runs approximately 60 pages. Cover price $1.95.

Second printing. Frank Miller introduction and cover. Wrongfully accused of plotting to overthrow the Shogun, Itto Ogami becomes an outlaw, wandering through the provinces of feudal Japan, seeking vengeance for the murder of his wife and family. Awesome stories by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojma, presented in fantastic black and white art. Each issue in this series runs approximately 60 pages. Cover price $1.95.

Third printing. Frank Miller introduction and cover. Wrongfully accused of plotting to overthrow the Shogun, Itto Ogami becomes an outlaw, wandering through the provinces of feudal Japan, seeking vengeance for the murder of his wife and family. Awesome stories by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojma, presented in fantastic black and white art. Each issue in this series runs approximately 60 pages. Cover price $1.95.

4th printing. Frank Miller introduction and cover. Wrongfully accused of plotting to overthrow the Shogun, Itto Ogami becomes an outlaw, wandering through the provinces of feudal Japan, seeking vengeance for the murder of his wife and family. Awesome stories by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojma, presented in fantastic black and white art. Each issue in this series runs approximately 60 pages. Cover price $2.95.

Frank Miller introduction and cover Cover price $1.95.

Frank Miller introduction and cover Cover price $1.95.

Frank Miller introduction and cover Cover price $1.95.

Frank Miller introduction and cover Cover price $1.95.

Frank Miller introduction and cover Cover price $1.95.

Frank Miller introduction and cover Cover price $1.95.

Frank Miller introduction and cover Cover price $1.95.

Frank Miller introduction and cover Cover price $2.50.

Frank Miller introduction and cover Cover price $2.50.

Bill Sienkiewicz cover Cover price $2.50.

Bill Sienkiewicz cover Cover price $2.50.

Bill Sienkiewicz cover Cover price $2.50.

Bill Sienkiewicz cover Cover price $2.50.

Bill Sienkiewicz cover Cover price $2.50.

Bill Sienkiewicz cover Cover price $2.50.

Bill Sienkiewicz cover Cover price $2.50.

Matt Wagner cover Cover price $2.95.

Matt Wagner cover Cover price $2.95.

Matt Wagner cover Cover price $3.25.

Matt Wagner cover Cover price $3.25.

Matt Wagner cover Cover price $3.25.

Matt Wagner cover Cover price $3.25.

Mike Ploog cover Cover price $3.25.

Mike Ploog cover Cover price $3.25.

Mike Ploog cover Cover price $3.25.

84-page giant; Mike Ploog cover Cover price $3.25.

Mike Ploog cover Cover price $3.25.

Volume 3 - 1st printing. Collects Lone Wolf and Cub TPB (2000-2002 Digest) Volume 6-7, and stories from Volume 5.

Written by Kazuo Koike. Art by Goseki Kojima. Cover by Frank Miller.

The roads of feudal Japan are rife with brigands, but for Ogami Itto and his son, the roads are deadly. Shogunate agents and Yagyu Retsudo's assassins dog their every step, but each step brings the Lone Wolf and his Cub ever closer to Yagyu . . . and to vengeance

Softcover, 5-in. x 7-in., 720 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $19.99.

Written by Dylan Meconis and Ben Coleman. Art and Cover by Emilee Denich and Fed C Strsing. BATTLEFOXES, HO! It's axes versus blasters when Victor and Dez's sci-fi captors run afoul of an ambush set by a deadly squad of highfantasy warrior women. Who are these mysterious figures in (surprisingly supportive) chainmail bikinis? Does their fledgling resistance movement stand a chance against the might of the Skylarks? And will Victor and Dez survive to tell the tale? 28 pages, full color. Cover price $3.99.

Written by Ann Nocenti. Art by Arthur Adams, Whilce Portacio, and Scott Williams. Cover by Arthur Adams. A Snake Coils...; Longshot, Dr. Strange and Quark return to Rita's house to find she has been turned into a hollow husk by the machinations of Mojo; With adoration being the fuel that enhances his power, Mojo sets up a church on earth and begins to brainwash followers; Longshot tracks him down but finds he cannot kill his former master, allowing him to escape; As they prepare to attack the Church of Mojo, Longshot has another origin flash and realizes that his purpose is to free the slaves of his world from servitude to the spineless ones; Longshot, Quark, Strange and Rita attack Mojo and Spiral; Realizing that Mojo is an anti-life entity whose existence on earth endangers it, Strange opens a portal back to Mojoworld and the villain falls through. 36 pgs., full color. $0.75. Cover price $1.25.