I feel the quote from Yojimbo (directed by Akira Kurosawa… go watch it, edify) is especially fitting to introduce what is possibly the best comic I’ve read… period.

Vagabond follows the story of two young ronin.  The main character Takezo and his semi-sidekick Matahatchi, childhood friends, have left home to become men of the sword.  They separate, after Matahatchi takes up residence with a mother and daughter who take the young men in off a bloody battlefield.  Takezo begins his journey on the path to becoming a legendary samurai.  After returning home and being shunned he takes on a new name Miyamoto Musashi, who is based in reality.  He is a legend in Japan, and was said to have won 100 duels consecutively. The story follows in the footsteps of the greatest samurai stories we have, and while it’s a story arch that has been told, and retold, and then told some more, it’s just as enthralling now as it ever was.  Repressed love stories, sake abuse, and cold eyed swordsmen abound, and you’ll be asking for more at the end.  Ending on a cliffhanger with each book these are impossible to put down, as I write I’m on book 4 after starting yesterday.  It taps into the most simple human emotions and grabs them, twists them, and strokes them.

Now, I’ll play the devils advocate and say this: being a manga, it’s written in a standard manga form.  Right to left is something that some people will have a problem getting used to, and to be honest, if I wasn’t familiar with the format I would probably not have gotten so quickly trapped by this sweeping epic.  Pick up some smaller mangas if you don’t think you can jump right in, get a little practice with reading in the style and you will enjoy Vagabond all the more.  There are sequences where you will be flipping a page nearly immediately for 3 to 4 pages in a row, the action is just that fluid.  Don’t let this scare you off, just know that the learning will be worth it as the series is massive.  Each volume is in the neighborhood of 300 pages and right now the most current is Volume 32.  Everything about this series screams for attention, it’s a wonder it hasn’t gotten it stateside yet.  Try out volume one, you will find yourself pleasantly surprised.

While you're here, check out:

1. A few days too late: The Walking Dead: Book One
2. Brutal and Spooky. No, it’s not another Rob Zombie movie.
3. New Artist: PJ Bond
4. Alien Workshop x Andy Warhol Decks – “Art is what you can get away with”
5. [MP3] Track of the Day: Sarah Kirkland Snider (Ft. My Brightest Diamond) – “This Is What You’re Like”