Afro Samurai Vol.1 (Graphic Novel)

by Takashi Okazaki

"Gotta figure out a way to get this on the Big Screen!!! My Man Takashi Okazaki did his thang with this one!" - Samuel L Jackson

For fans of the original Afro Samurai manga and anime, this new "director's cut" edition of the out-of-print cult classic book features a specially commissioned custom cover and a brand-new foreword by creator Takashi Okazaki.

In a feudal, futuristic Japan, samurai battle to become No.1 and rule the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1787739007
• ISBN13: 9781787739000
• Release Date: December 2022
• Publisher: Titan Manga
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.9" x 9.8"

Customer Reviews

AFRO ATACK

If you like the series, the manga is bether, you can see and fell the cold-bloded samurai, this explains a lot of the series, the art is amazing and the new characters too.

Revenge is a dish best served...

hot with a side of warm bread and mashed potatoes. What? The manga is cool but in a world all its own. Mini-guns, DJs, teddy bear outfits. Not too sure what that last part means but just read the manga. Have advanced reading copy, so no adds or junk, just manga. Just story. A boy wants to get back at those who killed his father for his Number One headband. Does he care about the headband? No, only where it will take him and what it will give him. Revenge at ANY cost. Kinda sad, really. Made into a anime.

SAMURAI WITH A ONE TRACK MIND

When Afro Samurai was a young child, he witnessed the death of his father, known simply as "Number 1", a swordsman, get brutally killed by "Number 2", a mysterious gunfighter. What these numbers siginify are the ranks of the fighters. So, if you wear the Number 1 headband, it signifies that you are the deadliest warrior in the world. Over the years, a number of legends have sprung up around the Number 1 headband. For example, whoever wears it will rule the world, or the tale that it grants immortality. Nobody knows if any of this or none of it is true. But it doesn't stop people from coveting it anyway. Since then, Afro Samurai has grown into a brutally remorseless warrior, working his way up to Number 2. He now wants to take down Number 1. It has nothing to do with the power he would gain if he wins. It has to do with simple revenge. He wants to kill the guy that killed his father. But the problem when you are wearing one of the top headbands is that you always have those who want your spot. Afro has the additional complication of being a wanted man. A group of underworld kingpins, known as "The Empty Seven", have put out a contract on Afro because some of their number believe that even the Number 2 headband has some sort of divine power. Afro Samurai started its life as a doujinshi comic (an amateur manga) in Japan by Takashi Okazaki (a few pages are included at the end of this volume). Then it was made into an anime which was the bestselling anime dvd of the year here in the states. Now it has returned to its original form, but this is a professional manga, not a sketchy throwaway doujinshi. The art is very reminescent of older manga such as Lone Wolf and Cub and other historical samurai manga. But it takes a modern twist when some of the characters pull out their cellphones or start talking in modern ghetto slang. Maybe you could classify this as an urban samurai revenge drama. It also channels a bit of Samurai Champloo. The art, as great as it is, is very dark, at times TOO dark, which makes the action hard to follow in some spots. It was very entertaining but the characterization could have used some work. Afro is a completely transparent in your face example of a one track mind at work. This guy is willing to do anything, including killing innocent people, if it serves to advance his quest. The purity of his mission lends a certain power to everything he does, but it also makes the plot less than compelling. Once we figure out that he has no morals, no mercy, and no other inner life, the book loses hope of having any surprises in store. In a movie like Gladiator, which also centered on revenge, the hero had certain lines he wouldn't cross. He would not endanger the life of an innocent child to kill the Emperor. He had to make choices. You feel as though Afro only made one choice in his life and that he will probably collapse dead if he ever kills Number 1. Entertaining, but not built to keep your interest over the long haul.

engaging manga graphic book

The young child was with his father, the world's top swordsman when No. 2 challenged him for his No. 1 headband. In front of the son, No.2 Justice and his cohorts The Empty Brothers illegally slay No. 1. In spite of his dishonoring the Swordsman tradition with his dastardly deed, Justice becomes No. 1. Although very young at the time he witnessed the murder of his dad, the son vows vengeance. Over the years he learned the swordsman skill and began his way up the hierarchy until he becomes No. 2. Nicknamed Afro for his hairstyle, he prepares for the final act while eluding assassins sent by the Empty Brothers supporters of No. 1. Though the plot is a bit thin, this engaging manga graphic book is entertaining especially the art. The story line never fleshes out either Justice or the son beyond their swordplay although the son has the additional motive of revenge making him a bit more complete than his adversary. With plenty of blood flowing in this feudal-modern tech world, fans who relish vivid action over characterization will appreciate AFRO SAMURAI 1. Harriet Klausner

"Why do you want to control the world?"

"It's just revenge." "Heh ... revenge ... what a joke." OK, I like the concept of Afro Samurai. But this isn't "Lone Wolf and Cub" so don't compare it. Afro lives in a post-apocalyptic world, a long time after whatever it was that happened. He's the #2 warrior in the world, and he's coming to kill #1, who killed Afro's father. There are no philosophical bits; the story just follows a killing machine cutting a groove in blood. Everybody around him shows some character, but not him. Afro is like a combination of Clint Eastwood, Bruce Lee and Jimi Hendrix. Eastwood because he doesn't talk and just goes and does, Lee because of his skill, and Hendrix because he's the best and he has a style all his own. Yeah, I'm going to buy the next book when it comes out. Bet on that.