Lone Wolf and Cub 19: The Moon in Our Hearts
Thought widely respected as a powerful writer of graphic fiction,  Kazuo Koike has spent a lifetime reaching beyond the bounds of the comics medium.  Aside from co-creating and writing the incredibly successfulLone Wolf and CubandCrying Freemanmanga, Koike has hosted television programs; founded a  golf magazine; produced movies; written popular fiction, poetry, and screenplays; and  mentored some of Japan's best manga talent. Koike and artist Goseki Kojima'sLone  Wolf and Cubwas first serialized in Japan in 1970 and continued its hugely popular  run for many years, being collected as the stories were published, and reprinted  worldwide. Koike collected numerous awards for his work on the series throughout the  next decade. Starting in 1972, Koike adapted the popular manga into a series of six films,  TheBaby Cart Asssassinsaga, garnering widespread critical acclaim for his  screenwriting abilities, and presenting the epic manga basis of the hit films to a world of  fans who were hungry for more stories from theLone Wolf and Cubsaga. In  2000, Dark Horse Comics embarked on a landmark publishing program to bring all 8000- plus pages ofLone Wolf and Cubto American audiences for the first time. Over  the next two years, Dark Horse will release 28 volumes of this revered material, with  each volume containing approximately 300 pages of masterful samurai storytelling.